Mouse Byte
by Lark R. Starling
Summary: Aya, a master computer hacker, finds herself thrown into war and romance the day she encounters four very unique boys. The same day she also undergoes a startling transformation herself. Kurama x OC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the YYH characters. Not at all.

NAME: Ayako Sasara  
NICKNAME: Aya  
CODENAME: Mouse  
AGE: 17  
SPECIAL SKILLS: Hacker; can hack into anything

NOTES: Aya has a habit of calling males "sir" and females "miss." She is almost always eating a lollipop while working on an assignment. Her father is Japanese, but he moved to England after marrying her British mother. They lived there for fourteen years after Aya's birth before moving back to Japan, so Aya, her mother Evelyn, her younger brother Tomosuke, and her younger sister Kiyoko (Tomosuke's twin sister), all have British accents.

**Please do NOT review if you are going to criticize my writing style, content, OCCness, or _anything_ like that. Correcting my mistakes in grammar and spelling is acceptable as long as you can be _civil_ about it.**

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I pulled the lollipop out of its wrapper and popped it into my mouth as I waited for the program to load. 50%…80%…100%. I blinked in surprise at the ACCESS DENIED message that flashed across the computer screen. I rotated the lollipop in my mouth with my tongue and sat up closer to the keyboard. This firewall was going to be harder to break then I first thought. Good.

The lollipop lay forgotten in between my teeth o get me into the system, but it held a higher risk of detection. ACCESS APPROVED flashed back at me as a reward for my efforts. I cautiously moved the cursor around the site, searching for the file my client wanted. I held my breath. I wasn't home free yet. There was still time for a security program to catch me, alerting the National Police Association to my presence, and locking me out of the system. I located the file and popped a blank disc into the computer. The file began downloading to the disc. I waited with bated breath.

"Aya! Dinner!" Mum's voice called from the other side of my bedroom door. I nearly jumped out of my skin and involuntarily chomped down on the lollipop, crushing the strawberry candy to pieces. I pulled the now useless stick out of my mouth and waiting for my heart rate to slow down again.

"Okay, give me a minute. I'm on a job." I called back to my mother between pieces of candy. The file was fully downloaded on the disc and I had successfully eluded detection. I slid the disc out, and typed in another code to the NPA database. A small brown mouse danced about the screen, showing off the barcode tattoo on its pixilated left arm. It was my own personal calling card, something that had alerted the world to my existence. The mouse was partially covered up as a program began to lock me out of the system. Before it got a chance to, I clicked out of the database. I had got what I needed. A moment later, my mother pushed open the door to my room.

"Honey, you're going to get in trouble someday." Mum's concern was apparent.

I sighed. We had gone over this a million times. The only trouble I was ever worried about was failing a job. I was practically invincible in all other aspects. "Mum, I won't get in trouble with the law. Members of the government are my clients more than half of the time and arresting me would only force them to admit their own crimes. Because of that, they can never - will never- catch the super-hacker Mouse. They know that. Besides, the money I get from this job is the only thing keeping up in a house with bread on the table right now. We need for me to do this."

Mum sighed. "I - I know, But I worry about you, Ayako."

"I know," I replied softly, "but don't. This is only temporary, after all. Once we get in a more financially stable situation, I'm going to quit hacking and go straight." That was a lie, of course. I loved hacking way to much to give it up. But I had to reassure my mother somehow.

At that moment, my computer dinged, the bell-like sound signifying the arrival of a new email. Considering only my recurring clients knew my email address, we both knew what this meant: a new job

My mother smiled a little sadly, and walked out the door, closing it behind her. "I'll bring you your dinner." I sighed, and turned to the task at hand.

The next morning, I stepped wearily into the shower. I had been up for hours writing a strong security program (I was just as good at making them as I was at eluding and breaking them) and frankly, I didn't feel like going to school today. Still, I couldn't skip just because I was tired.

Minutes later, I stepped from the shower, wrapped only in a towel. I stood in front of the mirror and frowned. I was small and skinny, with pale skin, and a boyish figure with very little in the way of womanly curves. I had thick blonde hair that fell to my waist and bright blue eyes. Even though in Japan light eyes and blonde hair were rare, neither was my most unusual physical feature. I had two, in fact. On the upper part of my left arm, there was a large barcode tattoo. I had gotten this tattoo at the start of my hacking career, when clients I met in person had doubted whether a tiny high school girl like me could be a dangerous technological criminal. Now, since the super-hacker Mouse lived in a shroud of mystery, the tattoo on the arm of the dancing mouse that was Mouse's calling card was synonymous with the name. Indeed, my tattoo was as infamous as I was. The other significant feature was a red, ragged scar that stretched from under my right arm all the way down my side to my hip bone. The ugly testament of the worst night of my life.

I sighed tore myself away from my reflection, and set about getting ready. I was a bit of a tomboy, so I didn't wear makeup. But I had pretty enough features, so I didn't think I needed to. I dried my hair and brushed it. The only thing consciously girly about my appearance was a thin black ribbon I bound around my head like a headband. I donned my red and white school uniform, and I was ready for Meio High.

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Hey! This is my first story on . I hope you like it so far! If not, then don't worry. Usually located in the upper left corner of your computer screen is a back button, not to be mistaken for the Review this Chapter link, which is located on the lower middle of the screen.


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you hear?" A girl asked her friend in the halls at school as they spoke near my locker where I was gathering my stuff. "Last night, Mouse hacked the NPA and stole one of their most important files before they noticed anything!"

Her friend sighed. "Mouse is becoming a real problem, but the government doesn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to catch him."

"Or her," the first girl argued, "Mouse could be a woman." The other girl just shrugged. After I walked away from them, I allowed myself a small smile. I felt a little pride that my schoolmates were unknowingly talking about me. My fame as Mouse continued to grow, which meant tighter security and stronger anti-hacking programs. Which made my job all the more exciting.

The rest of the school day passed without much excitement. My classes - Drafting, Calculus, Advanced Tech, Computer Design, Honors Japanese, Computers IV, and Advanced Art - may have been some of the top classes offered at Meio High School, but I still found them a tad too easy for me, even though it was still just the beginning of the school year. I was eager for university next year, hoping it would present me with more of a challenge.

I stayed at school late that night, working on a large drawing of an angel, chained to a cross and bleeding. I liked drawing macabre images. Even though I excelled at normal and advanced academics, I had two thing I was better at than anything else - drawing and anything related to technology. I was well aware that there were better artists than I and there were those better at academics out there, but I had yet to find any who even came close to being my equal in technology. I don't mean to sound conceited, but I doubted whether I ever would.

It was dark when I left school. I was exhausted from my lack of sleep the night before and all the hard work I had done today. So, when I saw the scene just outside the school, I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't hallucinating.

Four boys were on the grounds. One looked barely taller than me, with a black cloak and spiky black hair. Another was tall and burly, with a bright orange pompadour-like hairstyle. The third was tall as well with a lanky frame and slicked back black hair. The fourth boy had long, bright red hair that stuck out oddly, but still elegantly, and a tall, graceful, but very slender frame. Something about the last boy tickled at my memory. Unfortunately, all the boys had their backs to me, so I didn't know if I actually recognized any of them or not.

Now, four boys on a school campus - even if they were all dressed in plain street clothes - wasn't an oddity. What really was - the thing that left me questioning my current sanity - was the monster and the ball.

The monster stood a good nine feet tall, approximately, with a torso that looked akin to a tree trunk. His skin was a dark, almost hide-like skin, and he was far hairier than any humanoid being had the right to be. His clothes were ragged and ripped, as if he had grown too big for them in a short amount of time. Protruding from his oversized mouth were two large, ivory, and very lethal-looking tusks. And don't get me started on his clawed hands and feet.

Now, the ball. In the monster's deadly right hand, he bounced a glowing ball of red energy. The ball itself looked abnormal enough, defying the very laws of science the world was built on, but even from here I could feel the evil emanating from it. I shivered.

Looking back now, I have no idea why I was reacting so calmly to the situation, being careful to take in as much detail as I possibly could. It took me a minute to realize that my legs had given out from shock and I was kneeling on the ground. I felt numb.

The moment this realization hit me, the scene in front of me sprang into action. The four boys attacked the monster with weapons and moves that weren't humanly possible. They jumped around, attacking from all angels, at speeds almost too far for my quick eyes to follow. Their assault seemed pointless. The monster looked uninjured. I then understood that their goal was not to kill the monster, but to get the lustrous ball away from him. The monster was making a fair showing of keeping the ball in his possession. Suddenly, the tall black-haired boy leapt up behind the monster's right arm, his hands clasped together like a gun. His fingertip began to glimmer and a huge blast of blue-white light exploded from his finger, hitting the hand that held the ball. The monster roared in agony, brandished a now half-melted stump of an arm. The ball was knocked out of his grasp and flew through the air - right at me!

The next few moments passed in slow motion. I saw the ball flying through the air like an arrow, straight and true towards me, but beyond the demonic red glow I saw the four boys halt in their assault of the monster. I saw five pairs of eyes widen in shock as they beheld the ball's newfound target. Then, the ball hit me squarely in the chest.

The spot where it had hit felt as though someone had just whacked me with a sledgehammer. I flew backwards across the grass, landing painfully with a thud about twenty feet away. My body felt as though I was being electrocuted as strong shocks traveled through my every vein. I opened my mouth to scream, but I couldn't seem to produce a sound. I was too weak to writhe in pain, and above the thundering of the agony, I could hear parts of the fabric of my uniform give out and rip because of the immense energy shock of the ball. Finally, I could stand it no longer.

Darkness overtook me.

Words and voices floated across my dulled subconscious.

"_What was she doing there? The idiot!"_

"_Hn. Typical human."_

"_Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"_

"_Ayako Sasara…'_

"_Huh? You know her, Kurama?"_

"_Not too well. She went to Meio with me. She's a year younger than me, but brilliant. She's a great artist and a master guru of all things technological. I really wouldn't have wanted her involved in any of this."_

"_Hn. Kurama, you never want any innocent human involved in our affairs. But they act like complete idiots and somehow still manage to get involved. What makes this one so much different?"_

"_Hey! Be quiet! She's coming to!"_

I groaned and shifted a little, slightly surprised to find that I could move at all. But, every movement stung like hell. As I came more into awareness, the pain all over my body began to dissipate, leaving me sore and with a bad headache. But my body felt odd. Different. Powerful. Inhuman.

I opened my eyes. I was lying in a bed, and the faces of the four boys who had been fighting the monster peered back at me. I now knew that I only recognized one of them. The redhead, Shuichi Minamino, had been a student at Meio High who had graduated last year. He'd been the only person at Meio whose scores at academics were always better than mine.

"Minamino?" I murmured, sitting up. "What's going on?"

"How do you feel, Sasara?"

I scoffed. "I feel like hell, sir."

"More literally than you think," the short boy said. He received a nudge with an elbow from the boy with the slicked back hair for his troubles. I frowned.

"What do you…? Never mind. What was that going on outside the school? What was that monster and that ball?" The boys shifted nervously.

"We should've erased her memory when we had the chance," the short one mumbled disdainfully. My eyes widened in shock while Minamino's emerald-green ones narrowed in warning as he glared at the boy.

"Hiei, you know very well why we can't do that." Minamino explained levelly. The boy - Hiei, was it? - shrugged and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"It was jus at suggestion."

"Excuse me, sir?" I interrupted, bringing the attention back to myself. I wanted answers and was not in the mood to wait for the boys to finish arguing before I got them. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"You're in my bedroom, in a house I bought. And well," Minamino began, "there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just jump fright in to it. That monster was actually a demon who escaped into the human world to steal the ball, which is the Demon Orb. It was our," he broke off briefly to gesture to himself as well as the other three boys, "job to hunt him down and get the Demon Orb back. We're Spirit Detectives."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Demons? Orbs? Spirit Detectives? Explain, please, sir." He couldn't be serious! But from what I knew of him, Minamino wasn't the type for dumb practical jokes…

"Um…" Minamino looked for help at the others. The one with slicked back hair stepped forward.

"Nice to meet ya. Ayako, right? I'm Yusuke." He paused for a moment, seeming to decide what to say next. "Look, the world is a lot more steeped in the supernatural then you probably think. Demons, magic, spirits…All that exists. It's our world, so to speak. And _you've_ just been thrust right in the middle of it."

My head was spinning with his brief overview. I had never cared much about science or the paranormal, but to a girl like me whose life was all about technology, I had always accepted science as the undeniable truth. Finding out about things that shouldn't exist destroyed that small security in my life.

"But that's not all." Minamino took up the explanation again. "That ball you were hit with - the Demon Orb - was a ball of pure, Class B demonic spirit energy. Strong, untainted, and adaptable. It will adjust to your body, and give you powers and inhuman abilities. Because your body absorbed it so readily, you've become an actual demon yourself. An artificial one, but a demon nonetheless."

My jaw dropped. This had to be some sort of sick prank. I _hoped this was some sort of sick prank. _

"You're not alone, though. None of us are fully human. Well, Kuwabara is -" Minamino amended, indicating the burly carrot top, "but Yusuke and I are half-demon, half-human, while Hiei is a full fledged demon."

Crazy! These people were barking mad! "I don't have to listen to this!" I snapped, throwing the blankets off of me. I made towards the door, but Minamino grabbed the sleeve of my ruined school uniform.

"Wait, you can't go!"

"Oh…Yes…I…CAN!" I wrenched my arm out of his grasp, and the sleeve tore completely, revealing my tattoo. I froze.

"Mouse…" Minamino whispered in surprise. I flushed and tried to pull the shoulder of my uniform down enough to cover the tattoo. I failed.

"Say what?" Kuwabara asked.

"Mouse." Minamino repeated. "It's the nickname of this famous super computer hacker. So far, no one can find a security program strong enough to resist an attack by Mouse. It's rumored that Mouse has a barcode tattoo on his or her upper left arm. That's you, isn't it? You're Mouse."

"So what if I am?" I snapped defensively. "Are you going to turn me in?"

"No, but…"

"But nothing." I strode quickly out the door. "Goodbye, sir."

When I glanced back, I saw Hiei put his hand on Minamino's shoulder. "Let her go, Kurama…" I turned away and walked briskly down the stairs and out the house.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aya!" Mum called when I got home. "You've been gone for hours! I was starting to get worried about you~! And - oh! What happened to your uniform?!"

"It's nothing." I replied absentmindedly. "I tripped and fell into some bushes on the way home. Knocked me unconscious, too. No, I don't need a hospital," I protested as my mother opened her mouth in shock.

Mum frowned at me discerningly. I kept my face impassive, making sure I didn't give anything away. "Okay," she said doubtfully, "just get a shower before bed. I'm sure we have some antiseptic in the bathroom -"

"MUM!" A girl's shriek split the air. "Tomo stole my doll again!" Tearing around the corner of the hall came a seven-year-old boy hotly pursued by his tearful twin sister.

"Aw, come on, Kiki! Don't be such a crybaby - Ulp!" Tomosuke's taunt was cut short as I stepped forward and picked the boy up by the back of his shirt.

"Hey!" He shouted, struggling and kicking the air. "Let me down, Aya!"

"No, sir." I replied calmly. "Not until you give the doll back to Kiyoko."

"Fine, FINE! Here, Kiki!" Tomosuke dropped the doll, and Kiyoko eagerly snatched it off the ground, running away before Tomosuke could be set free. I set Tomosuke on the ground, crouching down so I was eye level with him.

"Tomo, d'you mind telling me the golden rule?"

The little boy stared ashamedly a the ground. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

I ruffled his hair affectionately. "Good boy." I stood. "Now, play nice."

Tomosuke grinned. "Kay!" He ran off in the direction of Kiyoko's room, but this time, it stayed quiet and peaceful. Mum smiled at me.

"You certainly have a way with kids. They don't obey me nearly as well. You're going to make a great mother someday."

I laughed. "Hopefully not too soon. I'd like to have some fun before that."

"Just don't make me wait too long for grandkids."

"It's a deal."

I was woken just hours later by crashing and screams. I shot out of bed. What the…? Our living room was totally demolished. There was a huge hole in the wall, and rubble everywhere. Then I saw the cause.

The demon from this afternoon towered over the rubbish spread about the floor. His expression, the extreme bloodlust in his eyes…He was out for a kill.

A movement amongst the debris. My mother, bloodied and bruised, lay at the feet of the demon. She struggled to get to me.

"Mum!" I made a move to go to her, but the demon stepped menacingly towards her. I froze. He stretching out a hand towards me.

"Give it back, or her life is forfeit." His voice was primitive, and guttural. I stepped back, shielding my chest.

"MUM!" It was the second time I'd heard that cry tonight. The little girl ran towards our mother. Tomosuke tore after her, shouting words or warning to his sister.

"NO!" I screamed, catching Tomosuke. I reached out for Kiyoko, but I missed, Tomosuke tried to squirm out of my grasp to get to his sister. I knew deep in gut that no matter what happened, I could not let Tomosuke go,

The demon, meanwhile, grabbed my sister around the neck. Before I could move, his grip tightened…And Kiyoko stopped struggling.

Something inside me snapped. Power surged through me. I don't remember much. I remember holding Tomosuke tightly against me, and I was screaming. There was bright white light everywhere and my body felt electrifying. Rumbling, roaring, then nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I was…Alive? I jolted awake, sitting straight up in the bed. Judging from the moon outside the bedroom window, I had been unconscious a whole day. This time, only Minamino and Hiei were present. They looked like they had been casually relaxing a moment before, but now, they were alert and making a point of not looking at me. I glanced down at myself. I was naked.

I flushed and pulled the sheet back up to my chin. I was suddenly very self-conscious of my scar. Had they seen? Why was I naked? Why was I…?

All at once, the memories of the previous event came crashing down on me. The demon destroying my house, seeking out the Demon Orb…Hurting my family…And gods knew what else had happened.

"Mum…Kiki…Tomo…Where are they? Are they okay?" Hiei and Minamino looked uneasily at each other. A moment later, Minamino sat on the bed next to me. He put one arm around my bare shoulders. I unwilling trembled slightly at his touch. But…It wasn't a bad feeling.

"Sasara, you brother, Tomosuke, is alright. He's in a coma at the hospital, but when he wakes up, the doctors say he's going to be just fine." I felt a wash of relief that was almost immediately drowned by a wave of fear. He hadn't said if Mum and Kiyoko were okay…"

"And…" I began, but Minamino was already shaking his head.

"Your mother and your sister…Didn't make it." His grip on my shoulders tightened. "I'm sorry, Sasara."

My heart just about stopped as my world came crashing down. I stared up at him in disbelief, then looked down, clutching the sheet tighter to me. I couldn't stop shaking.

"No…" I hissed. "No, that can't be right. No!" I violently shoved Minamino away from me, mindful even in my sorrow to keep the sheet up. "You're bloody lying! Rubbish! They can't be dead! Bloody hell!" I was sobbing in between my words now. I thrust myself backwards out of the bed and consequently tripped over the tangled sheet. I hit the wall painfully, and gasped as the wind was knocked out of me. There was pure silence for a moment while I tried to catch my breath. Hiei came and stood over me, laying a comfortingly hand gently on my shoulder. I looked up at him through tear-filled eyes.

"It's alright to mourn. It's alright. But don't think that we're going to let you wallow in pity. You've got to take some action, whatever you choose for it to be. But for now, just grieve." With that, Hiei squeezed my shoulder one last time and left the room.

His kind words only served to make me tear up again. As my shoulders began to shake with grief, Minamino was suddenly there, whispering soothing words in my ear and holding me tightly against his chest. I accepted his kindness gratefully, and drew as much comfort from him as I could. With that, I made a silent vow to befriend this man, as well as Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, and somehow repay them for all their compassion towards me.

With that, another fateful night passed, this one with me held in Minamino's arms.

I awoke in Minamino's bed, feeling dull and numb with a massive headache from all the crying. I was alone in the room, of which I was grateful. The door to Minamino's bathroom was open and the light was shining brightly. Still clenching the sheet to me, I wandered into the bathroom warily. Empty.

He had set the whole thing, ready and waiting for me. There was a fresh towel, soap, undergarments in my size and a pretty black Lolita-style dress that would fit me perfectly (how he had gotten hold of the dress and the undergarments, I wasn't sure I wanted to know). There was even a black ribbon identical to the ones I always wore in my hair. I smiled slightly at his thoughtfulness, shed the sheet, and turned on the shower.

I got ready as best as I could with the resources Minamino had provided for me. I then wandered through the house, following the scent of cooking food until I finally reached a kitchen. At a small table in the middle of the kitchen, there were three places settings. Hiei and Minamino occupied two of them, but at the third setting was a full plate of food waiting for me. I didn't greet either of the two boys, but instead dug into the well-cooked food. I didn't have much of an appetite, but I knew I needed to eat if I was ever going to feel better about anything. Not to mention I hadn't even eaten for well over a whole day.

The pain of losing my sister and mother still throbbed fresh and agonizing in my heart, but like Hiei had said, I needed to move on. There were things to be done, and dwelling on the dead wasn't going to help anything.

"I bought this house because it was so close to the university campus. Since Hiei doesn't have anywhere else to go, I asked him to stay with me. But I'm not adverse to another housemate, if you're interested, Sasara:"

I listened to Minamino's proposal, closing my eyes for a moment to think about it. I knew that if my house even still existed, I wouldn't want to go there. There was really no other option I could think of. I just nodded. Minamino seemed to decide that that was an acceptable answer.

I laid my fork down. "Minamino…" He held up a hand to stop me.

"Please, call me Kurama. It's my real name. My demon name."

Kurama, huh? A demon name…Well Kurama was a better name than Minamino or Shuichi. Kurama it was, then. "Alright, fine. Just as long as you both call me Aya, and not Mouse, Sasara, or even Ayako. Do we have a deal?"

"Seems so."

"Anyways, I just wanted to say whatever it is going on with you guys that I've gotten involved with, I'm ready to listen now, if you want to explain it again. And whatever this is power is that I have, I want you to teach me to utilize it. I want to help you guys. I want to try to make sure that no one has to go through what I've gone through."

Both boys looked at me approvingly. Kurama's expression was unreadable, and Hiei seemed to have liked what I said.

"But…" I said hesitantly. "May I …May I see my brother?"

Minamino…No, Kurama…Nodded and immediately stood up. But, before he could say anything, Hiei shook his head at Kurama. "I'll take her." He offered. I blinked. I hadn't expected that. It seemed like a very un-Hiei-like thing to do. And from the expression on Kurama's face, I wasn't the only one who thought so.

Shortly after that, Hiei and I left on foot for the hospital.

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Oh my gosh! I wasn't expecting such positive reviews from all of you! Thanks a lot, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Warning: You'll notice Hiei beginning to act VERY unlike his real personality. Sorry. And there'll eventually be fluff. Lots of it.


	4. Chapter 4

Don't get me wrong," Hiei said as we walked to the hospital. "I'm not doing this _completely _for you. I have some conditions in fact."

"Is that so, sir?" I asked warily, "and they are…?"

"You will answer any question I ask you truthfully to the best of your knowledge. And, after we're done visiting your brother, you will subject yourself to a small test of your abilities under my direction." Sheesh. The bloke didn't leave much room for argument. But, what could he do to me if I refused? Well, I didn't particularly wish to find out.

"Fine, fine, very well. You have yourself an accord, sir."

"First of all, why do you keeping calling me sir? It's annoying."

I laughed, "Well, if you find that irritating, you're just going to have to get over it. It's a habit I've had since before I can remember. I don't even realize when I'm doing it anymore."

"Fine. Well, it can't get any more annoying than Kuwabara, so I think I can handle it. Next, only the bodies of your mother, sister, and the demon were found in the ruins of your house." I flinched when he brought up the very subject I'd been rather hoping he'd avoid. But, I can't say I didn't expect it. "So, where's your father?"

I brought my left hand across my stomach to rest on my right side, where the scar was. "Well," I started, clearing my throat a little, "I'm sure you saw me in all my naked glory sometime when I was unconscious, right?" Hiei nodded. "You remember the scar here?" Another nod. "Well, two years ago, I was being driven back from the movies by my father. It was late at night, and we were both eager to get home. We were hit by a drunk driver that my dad didn't manage to avoid in time. I remember waking up days later, in a hospital, with this massive wound on my side. For the next few months, I don't remember much because they had to keep me mostly under anesthetics because of my injury. I do remember hearing someone say that my father was dead and that it was a miracle I wasn't dead as well. After I healed, my family was already mostly done with mourning. But they had to stay strong for me anyway. Or so my mother says. My father's job had paid so well that my mother had been able to be a stay-at-home mom. But now that he was gone, we had no income. My mother had been looking for a job when I was in the hospital, but to no avail. I had always been good with computers, so I taught myself hacking and became the bread-winner for my family."

Hiei took all this in patiently and with seeming interest. "Your life has been hard," he remarked simply.

"Can't be worse than what you've probably dealt with, sir." I said quite without thinking. Hiei gave me his amused, yet annoying superior look.

"You think that just because I'm a demon, my life has to be difficult?"

I flushed and stammered, ""That's not what I meant…" I stopping when I realized Hiei was laughing slightly.

"But it _is_ the truth. My…Sister and I have had a rough life. I have had to continue to get stronger to protect her and her innocence, even though she didn't know I existed until a few years ago. And I'm not about to let anything break me." I was surprised that he had opened up so much. It was very uncharacteristic of him.

"You have a sister? Will I ever get to meet her?"

"If you hang around us long enough." His brow furrowed. "You know, I've never willingly told anyone so much about myself. I hate doing that. But for some reason, you're different. It's…Odd." He shook his head in confusion.

I was secretly joyful. It was obvious that Hiei didn't get close to people. I had never had any friends in school, so to have someone feel that way about me was really special. I know this sounded corny, but I could feel a bond between us growing strong, even if we had only known each other for a few days.

We walked along in silence for a minute or two, but I could tell Hiei was growing impatient. Suddenly -

"Brace yourself." Hiei said. Before I could react, he had swept me up into his arms and began to run, jump. But not at a normal speed. At the speed of light.

I cried out and clung tighter to Hiei. Although I didn't hear it, I felt a chuckle rumble through his chest. He was laughing at me!

"I want to show you something," Hiei called above the rush of the wind, "but it will be painful for you."

Seconds later, we stopped at a place I knew very well. The sidewalk in front of my house.

Except there wasn't a house there anymore, just like I'd suspected. It was a closed off lot full of charred rubble. Hiei and I ducked under the yellow Crime Scene tape to wander amongst the debris. I'm sure most of it had already been cleared away, but there was still quite a bit of it left.

I picked up a board of burnt wood. "How…Did this happen?" I had expected the house to have been torn apart by the demon, but not look like it had been burnt down.

"I think we have you to thank for that." I looked back at him in utter shock. "You remember those powers Kurama told you you were supposed to have?"

"You mean…I have the power of fire?" Hard to accept that I had done this.

"No. _I_ have the power of fire. What I'm thinking you have is probably closer to home. Think, now. What has the capability of doing this that you are very familiar with?"

I paused, trying to figure that out. "Electricity?"

Hiei nodded. "Exactly. A strong enough electrical charge could blow apart a house like matchsticks."

"How do I use my powers the right way?"

Hiei shrugged casually. "Well I assume it's a lot like the power of fire. So I can teach you. Are you ready to leave?"

I nodded and a second later Hiei had picked me up and we were speeding off to the hospital.

Hospitals. After having spent months in one following the accident, I wasn't too fond of them. Still…

"Room 118, please," the desk receptionist said

…If it helped Tomosuke, then I couldn't really complain that much.

"Look," Hiei whispered to me, "try to avoid going to hospitals, especially if you're unconscious."

Expected rather a lot, didn't he? How could I avoid going to a hospital if I was unconscious? I wouldn't really have a choice. "Why?"

"Well," Hiei dropped his voice even lower as a nurse passed us, "you're not exactly human anymore, are you? And demons' bodies are a lot different than humans. Different enough that even someone with no medical knowledge whatsoever will notice. And then you might get sent off to be dissected by the government if anyone finds you out."

I swallowed nervously. "O-oh, sir? How so?

"Check your heart rate, for instance."

I frowned and pushed two of my fingers lightly into my neck under my chin, a place where I would be able to feel the pulsing of the blood through an artery. My frown deepened and I pushed a little harder. There _was_ no heartbeat!

"I don't have a heartbe-" I stopped when I felt a strong thump underneath my fingers. I waited for a few seconds, but it didn't come again.

"The hearts of demons beat a lot slower than human hearts do. And with things like elements, where I have the power of fire and my sister, for example, who has the power of ice, our body temperatures correspond to that. Both of us could be considered clinically dead if a doctor took our body temperatures. Mine's far too hot. And my sister's is far too cold. Irregularities like heart rate and body temperature can be controlled by a demon after a lot of practice, but you can only control it if you're conscious. And it might be in vain if a doctor chose to take a closer look. The demon body is far too different from the human body."

We had reached the room. Hiei stretched out a hand towards the door handle, but the door opened before he could touch it. We both took a step back.

Yusuke and Kuwabara exited the room.

"Oh, hey guys," Yusuke said. "You didn't bring Kurama along?"

"Hn." Hiei snorted. His cold, slightly rude demeanor was back. I guess he could only bear to show his kind, gentle side to me and our redheaded housemate.

"How are you, Aya?" Kuwabara asked.

"Well, as good as anyone can be when they lose their sister and mother, have their brother in a coma, and somehow turned into something very inhuman, all in a couple of days." All three of the boys simply stared at me. I hadn't meant to make it sound so mean, but I didn't know what else to say.

"Anyways, we have other things to do, so if ya don't mind," Hiei strode past the other two boys. I hurriedly muttered a thanks, a goodbye, and followed Hiei.

Tomosuke didn't look so good. He was pale, and covered with bruises and scratches. He even had a few slight burns, probably a courtesy from me. He was hooked up to several different machines, all of which were beeping quietly in the background. Aside from all that, he looked just like he was sleeping.

He didn't respond when I carefully took his hand. "Tomo," I muttered, "I'm so sorry." I kissed him on the cheek. I was the only family he had left now. And he was mine. Or blood related, at least.

Hiei and I stayed in the hospital room a few minutes longer, Hiei waited patiently while I gently stroked the back of Tomosuke's small hand with my thumb. Finally, I let go of his hand and turned to Hiei, wiping my eyes.

"Shall we leave?" Hiei nodded and led the way out of the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiei was carrying me again, but I didn't know where he was taking me. But that was hardly surprising. I had only lived in Tokyo for three years after moving to Japan from England, so there were a lot of places I still didn't know.

At last, we stopped and Hiei carefully put me down in a deserted alley.

"I don't know much about lightning and electricity, but I know of some of the abilities you _should_ have. First of all, can you fight?" He scrutinized me carefully. "You look a little small to be able to do or take much physical damage."

I bristled. "_You_ of all people should know that size isn't everything, sir. I _can_ hold my own rather well in a street fight."

Hiei smiled wryly. "I suppose so. Then all I ask if that you keep up with me."

Without any further ado, Hiei took off running out of the alley. Lucky for me, he was only going at a normal, human-capable speed. The stereotype of computers hacks usually says we're weaklings, but I was proud to say that I was very fast, agile, and quite strong. I caught up with Hiei easily as we dashed through the crowd of people.

People turned to stare at us, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was keeping pace with Hiei. When we were neck to neck, Hiei grinned wickedly at me…And disappeared.

I saw him flitting through the people, and didn't even bother to think that I probably could not use that demonic hyper-speed thing of his, but instead I jumped after him. I was shocked to discover that my speed was able to match his. So I could use demonic super speed…Hiei must've suspected this before, because he didn't look surprised to see me by his side again.

Suddenly, Hiei veered off the sidewalk. I screeched to a halt, completely shocking the people around me as I wasn't just a blur running through the crowd anymore. I tried to find him, and was amused to see him leaping across the tops of the cars in the traffic. I grinned, exposing sharp, vampire-like eye teeth, and leapt after him over the cars' roofs.

Every time I would catch up to him, Hiei would add another obstacle to our mad race. We were jumping up buildings, across the buildings' roofs, and even across sand and water. I had not even the faintest idea where we were anymore. At last, we were sprinting through a forest, dodging bushes and tree roots. Then, we were leaping from branch to branch through the treetops. I kept waiting for a new change, but when it came, it was nothing like I expected.

Hiei dropped down to the forest floor again. He waited for me to follow. When I had chased him into a clearing, he lunged at me.

I had barely enough time to register what he was doing and block the blow. But he didn't stop there. He attacked again and again, until we were engaged in a lightning-fast battle amongst the trees.

Block, attack, block attack…The fight developed a mechanical rhythm, neither of us able to land a blow. I was well aware the Hiei was holding himself back, or I doubted whether I would've lasted even this long.

WHACK! Finally, Hiei landed a blow. The force threw me back against a tree. I felt parts of my dress and skin rip as I hit several sharp, durable branches.

Hiei landed at the opposite side of the clearing. "You okay?"

I examined one cut on my arm, out of which the blood was flowing quite freely. I licked at the blood. "Never better."

Hiei grinned. "You're going to make one hell of a demon." He watched me lick my wound for a moment then said, "Catch."

That word was the only warning he gave before hurling a fireball at me.

Huh?! How was I supposed to catch THAT? Without even thinking, I threw up my hand. To my great astonishment, my hand sparked and flashed. A white ball of lightning identical in size to Hiei's sprang out.

As the two balls headed towards each other, I saw Hiei start running towards me. But he didn't look like he was going to attack.

The two balls collided and the force shook the air. I felt myself being pushed down to the ground as the two energies exploded. I closed my eyes and covered my head as leaves and bits of wood rained down on us. As it calmed down, I coughed a little.

"Huh," Hiei said, while he got off of me and helped me up. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks for saving me," I muttered. I didn't want to think what would have happened to me if he hadn't protected me.

Hiei shrugged and gave me a strange look. "It's no big deal. But I've done all I want to. Are you ready to go home?"

Kurama was lounging on the couch reading a novel when we came back. One look at us, bloodied and bruised, made him drop his book and rush over to us with a look of concern.

Even though Hiei was far less injured than I was, most of Kurama's concern seemed to be directed at him. Although I feel terribly selfish to admit this, I felt a string of jealousy, which confused me. Why would I be jealous…?

"Take off your clothes," Kurama said casually. I blinked in surprise, not sure I had heard right.

"B-Beg pardon, sir?"

"I need to attend to your wounds," Kurama replied a little calmly. I backed away, crossing my arms securely over my chest.

Hiei laughed. "Come on, we're already see it all." This only made me flush fiercely and shrink away from them.

"If you're not going to strip, then I'll undress you myself." Kurama explained, as if he threatened girls like this everyday.

Well, that was certainly enough encouragement to get me to change my mind. Even though their faces remained completely stoic, I could tell both boys were laughing their asses off at me on the inside. "F-fine," I stuttered.

Kurama laid a hand on my lower back and began to push me up the stairs to his room. I shivered at his touch. A good shiver.

"You too, Hiei," Kurama called over his shoulder.

Hiei followed without a complaint.

Minutes later, a topless Hiei and me only in my bra and underwear sat on Kurama's bed. I was furiously embarrassed, but neither boy seemed to really care that I was nearly naked. I glanced at Hiei momentarily and was a little surprised at what I saw.

For such a shrimpy looking guy, Hiei was surprisingly muscular. His chest, arms, and abdominals were nicely defined and buff. I felt nothing towards him romantically (indeed, I was starting to view him as a close brother) but I had to admit that he looked good.

Hiei was receiving the medical attention from Kurama first. Which made no sense considering he was the less wounded of us. It was illogical. The only thing that really made me care about that was my near-nudity. It wasn't that I was ashamed of my body Even despite my lack of womanly curves, I had a nice body. My skin was lovely, I was pleasantly slender, and all of my muscles were well toned. Most girls would seriously kill for a body like mine, but I wasn't willing to show it off to some boys I barely knew. The first boy I ever wanted to see me this unclothed was my true love, but I guess I hadn't been given a choice, had I? Speaking of which…

"Hey," I said suddenly, causing both boys to jump slightly, "why exactly was I naked when you brought me here after I destroyed my house?" A thought occurred to me. I hoped it had been them who had found me and brought me here. It was bad enough being stripped by Hiei and Kurama, but if Yusuke and Kuwabara had done it…

"We don't know," Kurama said, carefully applying his special, homemade ointment to one of Hiei's worst cuts. "You were naked when Hiei and I got there." I exhaled in relief. "I assume the sheer force of your power vaporized your clothes or something like that. You brother was nude as well." Kurama pressed the tape on the last bandage Hiei required. "You ready?" He asked me. I nodded, suddenly finding it difficult to swallow. Why was my heart beating so fast?

I trembled at his first touch, and goose bumps erupted all over my skin. Kurama drew back in surprise. "Are you okay?"

"Well," I mumbled, more towards the direction of the floor, "I'm just not used to having a boy touch me yet, sir." I said that quite without thinking.

Hiei and Kurama shared a glance and then both boys burst into laughter.

I flushed and glared at them both. "Well," Kurama said, still chortling, "if you keep getting hurt like this, then you're going to have to get used to it."

* * *

Okay, well...I'm still overjoyed at the support I'm getting. This is my first fanfiction I've ever written, so this is wonderful!

Much Love

Lark ^.^


	6. Chapter 6

It had been an extremely awkward and uncomfortable experience. I didn't stop blushing the entire time. Kurama hadn't so much as batted an eyelash while working on me. Made me wonder how many near naked girls he had treated in his so, so that a half naked one wouldn't even faze a teenage boy like him. Sheesh.

But now I was clothes in a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants of Kurama's. Kurama had admitted that the dress had been the only girls' clothes he had had (again, I didn't want to know how he had gotten them). He promised we'd go shopping for clothes tomorrow.

When I awoke and got ready the next morning (wearing a pair of Kurama's jeans, a shirt, and jacket) Hiei was nowhere to be found. Kurama told me he had business to attend to and didn't further elaborate. We set out to shop.

First, we managed to get some new school uniforms for me. The school system was pretty generous when it came to things like houses burning down. Then, Kurama took me to what he claimed was the best mall in Tokyo. I didn't recognize most of the shops considering I had never been there, but I liked what I saw. When I saw a particular store I liked, Kurama dropped me off, saying he had other shopping errands to run, and he would be back for me in a little while.

Now, _this_ was my kind of store! A sort of punk / goth genre. After several minutes of trying on plaid skirts, lacey corsets, black boots and many other things, I had found so much I liked! But, I already owed Kurama so much, so I shouldn't buy a whole lot. I stood there, trying to decide what to put back when a voice spoke behind me.

"Buy it all, Aya." Kurama stood there, calmly watching me.

"HUH? B-but no, I couldn't! It's so much! You've already done so much -"

"Well, if you're not going to, then I will." In a moment, Kurama had wrested the large stack of clothes from me and walked towards the register.

The clerk seemed delighted that we would be spending so much money, but at the same time she seemed unsure that Kurama even had that much. But, when she gave him the total (and WOW, that was one hell of a total) he whipped out a credit card without even batting an eyelash and handed it to her. She seemed a little more relaxed and ran it through.

I couldn't stop thanking him and apologizing to him as we walked back out to his car. "Relax," he said, chuckling, "I've got enough money."

I frowned. "How? How do you have enough money? Spirit detective doesn't exactly seem like the most glamorous of jobs, sir."

"Well, my father had an amazing job. He just kept putting money in my mother's and my savings accounts. Then, when he died, we also received a massive payment from the government. Both my mother and I are millionaires. Believe me, I have enough to buy you a decent sized wardrobe."

When we got into the car, I noticed a large unlabeled box in the back seat. Aha, so he had gotten something when I had been trying on clothes. "What's this, sir?" I asked.

"You'll see when we get home," was the reply I got.

Home. Until a few days ago, I had considered the middle class house in suburbia to be m home. Now, I was surprised to find that this university student's nicer house near the campus was seeming more and more like home to me. I would never have believed it possible before all this.

Kurama bought us ice cream at a vendor in the mall. We set our purchases down, and sat on the edge of a large fountain (I read the plaque. It was named after a poem called 'Autumn Whispers,' about leaves falling from trees in the wind. If I hadn't been so preoccupied with Kurama sitting _very _close to me, I would have very much liked to read it more thoroughly) in the center of the food court. I didn't even know they made watermelon ice cream. That shows you how much I know about the world of cold dairy treats. Still, it was delicious. After months of eating only lollipops as dessert, this was heaven. Kurama seemed to be getting a kick out of my enjoyment of the ice cream. I think I remember Hiei calling it something like…Sweet snow? Maybe. It had been cute.

So, considering how much pleasure I was getting out of the ice cream, imagine my disappointment when if fell off the cone on to the tile floor. And under my foot. My balance on the wall of the fountain was already unsteady, and this did me in. I slipped backwards, falling towards the suddenly very cold-looking water. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kurama drop in own cone in surprise, and his arms flashed out to grab me. I felt his warm hands on my back only a nanosecond before he also lost his balance and we both toppled into the fountain.

I resurfaced about five seconds later, after inhaling what seemed like half the fountain's supply of good ol' H2O. Kneeling in the fountain, I clutched at the wall as I began to hack up my lung. Almost literally, it felt like. I felt Kurama patting my back gently. After I began to pant instead of cough, he asked me if I was alright. I just nodded weakly.

He stood, and offered his hand to me. I looked up, and instantly began to blush. It was amazing how the water clung to his muscular chest, and…I stopped myself before I could go farther, and took his hand. He pulled me to my feet, and we stepped out of the fountain, careful not to slip on all the water we were dripping on the floor.

"Sorry I pushed you in the fountain," I whispered, my voice a little hoarse from coughing.

"I was trying to save _you_ from getting hurt." I looked up in surprise, and was met with his kind smile. "You're not hurt, are you?" He smile was slightly tainted by the concern in his beautiful green eyes. Strange…How he could be so worried about me…It felt odd. I smiled back, wildly hurrying to find a sarcastic reply.

"Would've ever thought sweet snow could be this dangerous?" Lame, I know. But Kurama chuckled. His smile faded quickly when we heard shouts from across the food court. Running towards us, to our displeasure (or maybe it was just Kurama's. I was feeling pretty blissful at the moment), were two of the mall's security guards. Fan-freakin'-tastic.

After being severely chided, we were allowed to pick up our purchases, and take the nearest exit out of the mall.

Once in the car, Kurama found blankets in the back, and set them over the seats so we wouldn't completely soak the car seats. On the car ride home, we talked. Just small chit-chat, but it was still nice. I could feel myself growing rather fond of this man quite quickly.

When we got home, I offered to help bring the shopping in, but Kurama flat out refused and carried it all in himself. He dropped the bags of clothes off in my room, then told me to dry off. I did so. My hair was mostly dry already, so I just toweled off and changed clothes, while I assumed Kurama was doing the same in his room. Then, to my surprise, he called me into his room. Sitting on the bed in front of Kurama was the mysterious box.

"Go ahead, Aya," Kurama said, gesturing at the box, "it's for you."

For me?! Sheesh! I don't care if he was a millionaire! This bloke was spending far too much money on me!

Kurama handed me a brand new pocket knife, claiming he had bought that for me too. I smiled at the rose carved into the bone handle and accepted it, knowing me wouldn't allow me to refuse it. With it, I sliced open the tape on the box and threw open the lid.

I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was. Inside, tucked carefully amidst tissue paper was a shiny black laptop. The brand and model was what I knew to be the best and most expensive one available to the public.

I was ecstatic! But…How could I allow him to give this to me…? "K-K-Kurama," I stammered in amazement, "you _really _shouldn't have bought this for me!"

Kurama sighed, even though I could tell that buying it for me hadn't bothered him at all. "I know, but I wanted to."

An idea occurred to me. With this, I only needed some software, and I could start making my own money again! I no longer had a whole family to support, so I could do whatever I wanted with it. "Hey!" I said, "I'll pay you back, sir!"

Kurama stuck his face dangerously close to mine. "Oh no, you won't. I want to buy these gifts for you, Aya. Just accept that." With that, he smiled a sweet smile.

That smile made my heart jump into my throat and at once a terrible thought occurred to me: I was falling in love with Kurama.

The moment was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. When Kurama got up to answer it, I was able to breathe a little easier.

"Hey," he called to me, holding a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone receiver, "Yusuke says we have a new assignment. Would you like to come with us?"

* * *

Ah, at last, a mall scene...I had to use it, because I love shopping...And Aya has the same fashion tastes as me, for some odd reason...

Okay, so I wanted to add a few words about the fountain...

The idea is not mine, no. I got permission to use it from Autumn Whispers, who has it in one of her stories. I _highly_ recommend checking them out!


	7. Chapter 7

While we were debriefed on the mission, I set up my laptop, half listening. I know that wasn't something a newbie like me should be doing, but I figured the boys would take care of the details. There wasn't really much I think I could do to help yet.

Most of the programs I had used of my work had been purely homemade code work. Unfortunately, there was still some vital software I needed, not to mention I would need to tweak the hardware a bit, just to make it 'hacker friendly.' Oh well. With a computer, the other necessities would come easy.

Back to the present, Hiei was currently MIA, or 'missing in action' (Kurama secretly whispered to me that he was probably checking up on his sister), and the mission apparently, was a human world one. There was a half-demon business tycoon ("As if C.E.O.'s weren't bad enough," Yusuke muttered, "but now they have demon ones?!") that was capturing and selling off a bunch of spirit creatures. He was also the last surviving member of the Black Book Club, although I had no idea what that was.

"But," said the articulate toddler on the screen of Yusuke's spiritual laptop, "it'd better to be quiet and inconspicuous for as long as possible, because I don't want to risk any of the spirit creatures getting caught in the crossfire. A hacker will be quite useful on this job."

"Good to know," I said without even looking up from my own computer screen.

Koenma hesitated slightly before continuing, "You know, Aya, if you're interested, I'd like to instill you as an official Spirit Detective after this assignment." Oh, did that get my attention!

"Wow," I said breathlessly, "really?"

The toddler's squinty eyes crinkled up in a smile. "After this mission, I'll make it official."

I grinned widely. "Thanks!

We stood a good quarter mile away from the tycoon, Reio's, mansion. I sat at the base of a tree, clicking away on my laptop to find as much as possible about the security system. I still only had basic programs, so creating an on-the-stop information hacking program was a little difficult. But, I was up to any challenge…

"Okay, he has cameras everywhere, but I can screw around with those from here. His actual security system is something that I'll have to take care of manually. If we can get inside the gate, I'll be able to handle it." I would normally be able to attack the system from here, but my lack of software prevented that.

I set to work. In a moment, the cameras shut down. "Okay," I said, closing the laptop and rising. "That was bound to alert them to some trouble at least. We should hurry." It felt kind of odd to be giving orders to these three far more seasoned detectives, but this _was_ my area of expertise, after all.

I tucked the laptop securely under my arm. The boys and I took off running. When we reached the gate, they easily jumped up it. I grumbled a little before positioning my laptop firmly under my arm before following.

The courtyard inside the gate was quite beautiful. But we didn't have time to admire its aesthetic value. Instead, I rushed to the front door of the mansion, whipping out my pocket knife and setting to work while the boys kept watch. From the time since I started fiddling with the security system controls, I had fifteen seconds to disarm it without anyone finding out. I did it in nine.

"There!" I said victoriously, snapping the knife closed.

"Oi! Get away from there!" I had barely enough time to half-turn to see the human guard chucking a small grenade straight at me.

A flash of long red hair later, I was pulled to the side and pushed against the wall. Kurama shielded me with his own body from the grenade blast.

It missed us by a ways, but the small explosion it caused hurled stone and mortar straight at us. Dumb guard. If he lived past this, his master wasn't going to be very happy with him for destroyed part of the mansion. I felt Kurama shudder as a rock connected with his back, and he swayed a little. In alarm, I tried my best to hold him up while the dust settled. Over his shoulder I saw Yusuke and Kuwabara rush at the guard, but before they got there, a black shadow flitted in and fell the guard. Kurama shook himself, straightened up, and muttered that he was fine. Hiei walked up to us, his unsheathed sword dripping blood on the ground as he walked. Oh, he was going to get hell from Koenma for that.

"Hn." He said, "Looks like I can't even leave you alone for a minute, and you're knee-deep in trouble, Aya." That was the first time he had called me by my name. But we had more important matters at hand. The boy I loved had been injured, and it was all my fault.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kurama snapped at Hiei's inquisitive glance. Again, I felt the shock of envy. Except this time I knew the reason why. I was jealous of Hiei and Kurama's relationship. It wasn't like there was anything romantic going on between them (although I had no problems with homosexuality) but still, they were so close…How I ached to be that close and important to Kurama.

Oh! Again, I digress. Kurama insisted we carry on, but now that everyone had been alerted to our presence, the going was going to get much tougher.

I felt like such a liability. As we raced through rooms and corridors, the boys tried their best to protect me. I needed to lean how to fight, and soon, or else one of them was probably going to get killed because of me.

"Nobody move!" I flinched as I felt myself seized from behind. I felt a cold gun barrel bury itself in my hair. The boys froze.

My captor backed up with me. His free hand was clutching me to him, a feeling I didn't like. Again, the idea that I was such a huge burden overwhelmed me.

"Kill me."

All five members of my audience were in shock, I could tell. "H-huh?" stammered my captor.

"If all I'm good for is being a damsel in distress, then I'd rather be dead! It's not worth the trouble to them." My eyes flickered to the four Detectives. They looked…Apprehensive, perhaps? No one said anything. I growled. "Do it! Just pull the bloody trigger, you filthy git!"

"Fine," the man's grip instantly tightened around my shoulders and the gun barrel pressed harder against my skull. I looked up to Kurama. I was his face to be the last thing I ever saw.

But I didn't like what I saw there. His expression was twisted in agony and fear. And not just his, but Hiei's, Yusuke's, and even Kuwabara's. I realized how selfish I was being to wish to die. I could expect a good scolding from Hiei when we got out of this. But for now…

Trickles of lightning ran all over my body, searing the clothes it traveled over. The man grew confused as he felt the little shocks from my body, but it was too late for him.

I threw my head back and screamed, releasing an explosion and electric energy. I did my best to avert it from Kurama and the others. I felt a sharp, strong pain in my head and rapidly lost consciousness.

I awoke, but I felt different. Extremely and annoyingly weak.

"Hey! You're awake!" Yusuke's loud voice assaulted my ears. He grinned at me. I groaned. I looked around but I didn't see Kurama. Or Hiei. No Kuwabara, either. I tried to sit up.

"Don't," Yusuke commanded gently, pushing me back down. "Take it easy for a while."

"What happened, sir?"

"Well, you single-handedly destroyed most of that bastard Reio's mansion. Not to mention, your powers blew Reio himself and every single one of his henchmen to pieces. Somehow, though, me and the others, as well as all the captive spirit creatures, escaped unscathed."

"So, everyone's safe?" I said in relief.

"Yeah…But that's not the reason why you've been in a coma for the three weeks. You were shot in the head."

Three weeks?! Shot in the head?! Bloody hell!

While I was still trying to wrap my mind around the idea, Yusuke left. When the door to my room opened again, it was Kurama.

"You're awake. Thank goodness."

As he started to walk to my bed, he continued to speak. "Sorry about the amateur medical treatment. But we could risk taking you to a hospital. From what I hear, being dissected isn't fun."

When he reached me, I tried to sit up (glad to see I was fully clothed this time, although they weren't the clothes I had raided the mansion in), still feeling a little queasy.

Kurama started forward "You shouldn't -"

"I know. But…" I reached over a gently plucked at his shirt. "I want to see."

Kurama frowned, but didn't object. He pulled his shirt off (my heart began to race, before deciding that it was too weak to do that in my condition) and turned his back to me.

The pale skin had mostly healed over, but it was still obvious how bad the wound had been. The flesh was jagged and rough, and still bruised. I doubted whether the angry red color would ever truly go away. I squeezed my eyes shut in horror. I reached out and placed my trembling hand on the wound. Kurama flinched slightly as my cold flesh gave him a small shock.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

"Don't worry about it. It's a small price to pay for your safety."

I drew my hand back in alarm. Kurama turned, frowning again, and slipped back into his t-shirt. "Then how much is enough? Are you going to end up dying for me? What then?"

"Well," Kurama said, choosing his words carefully, "if that's what it takes to protect you, then I won't hesitate to give my life for you."

I squeezed my teary eyes shut again. I may be a demon now, but I was still subject to the emotional problems of a teenage girl. "I…Won't let you do that." Kurama then grasped my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"Don't cry. I don't like to see you sad." He paused only for a moment before bending his head down and pressing his lips tenderly against mine.

I had never been kissed before, but this was better than I ever could have possibly imagined. My hearts leapt, no, _soared,_ and I forgot about everything else but him. The feeling was too good to describe.

As abruptly as it had began, the kiss ended as Kurama pulled away. He stood up off the bed and briskly walked towards the door. His sudden change of attitude made me wonder whether I had just imagined the kiss.

"Get some sleep," Kurama ordered with a casual smile before slipping out the door.

I slid back under the covers, confused from the mixed feelings that flowed through me.


	8. Chapter 8

As the days wore on, I became more and more convinced that the kiss had truly been a figment of the imagination of a possibly half-crazed girl with a gunshot wound to the head.

The boys, who were all temporarily living in Kurama's house, forced me to stay in bed for two more weeks, to be sure I was properly healed. Demons were very durable, and healed quickly, but I guess they didn't want to take any chances. Either that, or they thought that I was too much of a weakling to be able to handle it. But when they finally deemed me healthy enough to go back to my normal routine, Kurama didn't even mention the kiss, nor did he even act like it had happened. Maybe I was going mad?

I still was bothered by my weakness and the others' need to protect me. I had to get stronger, and learn how to fight as well as any of the four boys did. I couldn't allow them to protect me, and especially to get hurt protecting me, any longer.

Still more weeks passed. As soon as I was well enough, I began to attend school again. Somehow, the news of my being shot had leaked out and everyone in Meio knew about it. I went from being nearly invisible to an overnight celebrity. Even after two classes I got tired of my classmates' constant pestering.

After school, I all but begged Hiei to start training me in the martial arts. He agreed, albeit a litte reluctantly, saying that I shouldn't try anything too strenuous just yet. Ironic, considering he and the other Detectives never showed that much concern towards their wellbeing before charging into a fight. Besides that, I had had plenty of time to heal by now. More than enough. I_ was_ a demon, after all.

The training was harsh, reminiscent of that first day he had tested me, even though this was worse. After training each night, although it still made my heart race, and probably would continue to, I was getting a bit more inured to having Kurama tend to my wounds. Still, after three weeks of training with Hiei, and sometimes even Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama, I was _good._ At least where fighting without powers or weapons was concerned. I could fight better than Kuwabara, equal to Kurama, and almost as well as Hiei. Yusuke was still quite a bit out of my league, though. I did want to keep getting stronger and stronger, although I was already quite happy with how I strong I was getting now.

Controlling my demonic powers - lightning, super speed, and the heightened senses - was becoming like second nature to me. I had to admit, being a demon was pretty great. The worst down side was that I had developed a craving for the taste of blood (especially human blood) and I began to feel weak if I went without drinking any for a few days. I felt terrible about it, but Kurama told me it was natural for demons who had once been human (that was probably how the vampire legend began). Usually we got pig's blood for me from the butcher's shop, or human blood from the blood bank at the hospital.

My daily routine was completed by my job at night. I had long since bought all the software and hardware I would need, and had spent a whole day installing them and tweaking the computer system, so I was all set. Demons needed less sleep than humans, so I was able to work late into the night. I had quite a busy agenda, yet I was happier than I ever had been.

One day, while Hiei and I were taking a break from training, I finally got up the courage to ask a question I had been wondering a long time.

"Hey, Hiei, do you think it would be okay if I got a weapon of some kind? To fight with, like you?"

Hiei grinned, showing off his demonically sharp eyeteeth (mine were reminiscent of a vampire's too, but just a tad pointer than his), "I was hoping you'd ask for one someday. I've been thinking about it too and I know just what to get you. Leave it to me. You're ambidextrous, right? But you were born left-handed." When I nodded, his grin widened. "May I borrow your laptop for a while?"

I was a little confused at why he'd want it considering Hiei was all but technologically illiterate, but nevertheless I nodded and told him it was on my desk at home. Which I am sure he knew already, but it never hurts to be polite. After he left me alone, I stayed in the forest where we usually trained, drinking up the beauty of nature as the sun set.

When I got home, my laptop was gone and Hiei was no where to be found. I was frantic at the loss of my laptop, but Kurama calmed me, saying Hiei would be back in a week or so. At this, I forgot about the laptop momentarily, blushing furiously. A week alone with Kurama? How was I supposed to handle _that_?

Well, I would go mad, is how it turned out. I was crazy without my computer. And this wasn't just because I missed it. I could handle living without it for a while. It was just…Now I didn't have an escape from Kurama.

I'm not saying I disliked being around him constantly. In fact, I quite loved it. But it also hurt. I battled with myself trying to figure out his feelings towards me instead of just asking. Why kiss me (I decided that I could not have imagined something that amazing. It must've really happened), if he didn't care for me? But, if he did love me, why was he still treating me the same as always? Then there was the part of me that wished desperately (even though I knew this wasn't true) that the kiss had been the pathetic hallucination of the girl with the gunshot wound. I hoped that was it. The other options were either too painful or bewildering to consider. Let me just say, that week was mental hell.

Well, I did have one escape: school, of course. During the day, while I was at school, Kurama was at university. It was the one place I could go to get away from him. I tried to not make it too obvious how much I now enjoyed going to school. Kurama might correctly assume that I was avoiding him. Unfortunately, Kurama still insisted on training me ("We can't let your skills diminish just because your teacher is on a holiday. Hiei would be furious if he came back and found that you had been slacking off for a week."), so that was another tidbit of torture there.

Finally, after the longest week of my life, Hiei was back. I exhaled in relief when Kurama and I watched him come striding into the house. I felt the weight of the tension I had been carrying around lift off my shoulders. But, upon closer inspection, I found that he wasn't carrying any weapon besides his own. Just my laptop. He smirked superiorly at my confused look.

"Here you go. All you need." I took the sleek black laptop from him, but I didn't move. "You…Turned my laptop into a weapon, sir?"

"That, and more," Hiei seemed proud of himself. "Tell me, does your laptop seem any different than before?"

I glanced at Kurama. He wore a politely patient expression, which probably meant that he had already figured it out. I sighed, and turned back to the computer. I froze. Come to think of it, it did feel different. Extremely different. It was emitting demonic energy.

I held the laptop away from me and stared at Hiei in shock. "You turned my laptop into a DEMON?!" That was a pretty foolish thing to say, but what else was I to think? I didn't know of anything else with demonic auras. Luckily, in an odd occurrence, neither of the boys laughed at me.

"No, no I didn't. It's something else. Let me show you." He stepped forward and took the laptop from me. I watched as he held it, and I felt a surge of his demonic energy. To my astonishment, in a flicker of black 'light,' the laptop went from being the portable computer it was to a long Japanese sword in a sheath. Very long. Probably taller than me.

I gaped. I wasn't as surprised by the transformation. The concept was identical to that of Kurama's rose whip; how that with a little help from his aura, it changed from a harmless flower into a deadly weapon. I understood that much simply from seeing the transformation once. What I was more concerned with was -

"How the HECK do you expect me to wield that thing?!"

"Quite easily, in fact." Hiei replied with a smug grin. "Watch."

With that, he gripped both ends of the sword, one hand on the hilt, the other on the opposite end of the sheath. He pulled his hands away from each other. Instead of pulling on long sword out, he revealed two smaller ones. I blinked in surprise. The sheath, it seemed, was nothing more than a convenient carrying case and a deception.

I grinned. "Sweet!"

Hiei smiled, and put both swords back into the dual sheath. "And with just a little more energy…" The swords turned back into my beloved laptop with the same flash of dark light as before. I was impressed!

Hiei noticed my expression of delight. He tossed the laptop at me. "Here, you try."

My heart leapt in fear as I lunged to keep the laptop from smashing into the ground. Hiei laughed. "It's a lot more durable now than you can imagine. It's infused with a lot of demon energy. I doubt it would break even if you dropped it off a cliff. Try to make it change."

Kurama had explained before what it took to make something like this transform. I hoped it would work from theory. I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated a small amount of my energy.

Sure enough, a moment later I held the surprisingly lightweight 'long' sword. I slid the swords out of the sheath and practiced a few swings while the boys watched. It felt oddly natural, and I enjoyed the light weight of the hilts in my hands.

"They're called _chisakatana_. It's a Japanese short sword, shorter than a _katana_ but longer than the _kodachi_ or _wakizashi._ It utilizes both strength and speed, but with more emphasis on speed. Which is your forte anyway. Besides, you're ambidextrous, so you'll be able to handle both weapons with ease. Since you're always going to take that laptop with you wherever you go, you'll always have your swords, too. What do you think?"

I sheathed the swords and changed them back into my laptop. "Perfect, sir. But, whose aura is this infused with, exactly?"

"Mine, of course. I don't want you walking around with some weapon made out of just any demon. I had to take the week to learn the process."

I smiled happily, and threw my arms around Hiei. I doubt he knew quite what to do, considering he probably didn't get hugged much. But, a moment later, he awkwardly returned my embrace. I smiled and hugged him tighter, closing my eyes. I loved him (I wasn't IN love with him, but loved him). A moment later, we broke apart. I saw Kurama watching us with a sweet smile. My heart soared. Never had anyone meant so much to me as these boys did. I don't know what I would do without them.

Meanwhile, back from my mind's musings, I developed a wicked thought. Suddenly, I tilted my face up and kissed Hiei on the cheek. Clutching my laptop to my chest, I ran away before he could catch me and do something unpleasant to me out of rage, or embarrassment. Probably both.


	9. Chapter 9

I was relieved later that night to find that whatever Hiei had done to the computer hadn't affected its performance in any way. I got back to my job, after having had a hiatus this last week. Whoa. My inbox was packed with requests. I pulled a cherry flavored lollipop out of its wrapper and set to work.

"Too slow!" Kurama yelled, as a thorn from his whip nick my shoulder. I twisted away to avoid the lash of the whip. A sharp pain across my back told me I had failed.

Four weeks had passed since Hiei had given me my _chisakatana_. Although I had been a bit shaky with them at first, now I had gotten close to perfecting my own certain fighting style with them. That is, only when battling opponents with similar weapons. I could whip Kuwabara, even when he used his two aura swords. I could hold my own against Hiei, but he was still better then me, even when he only had one sword. Those training sessions were the ones I lost and usually came home with a myriad of new battle scars from. But, even though Hiei was a better warrior than Kurama, I still struggled terribly against Kurama. It was hard to fight with two _chisakatana_ against a rose whip _master_. He had been at this for centuries, after all. He controlled the range, while I was at a disadvantage with my short-range weapons.

Later that night, I was once again sitting on Kurama's bed in nothing but my skivvies and a hair ribbon, watching him tend to the lacerations he had caused.

"You are getting better," he praised, as he applied his special salve to a small scratch on my stomach. His touch gave me the chills. Even after a couple of months of going through this almost every night, I still wasn't used to it, or comfortable with it. But I still loved it.

"Better doesn't cut it," I sighed, "in a real battle, my opponent won't be trying to miss my vitals. I won't know what weapon I'll be up against, nor will I be given multiple chances to try and overcome it. I'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

Kurama stuck a finger under my chin to force me to look up.

"Well, you've certainly thought this through, I'll give you that. But don't give up on all hope. And actual fight is different. You…Think and act differently if you're up against someone you don't know, and if you're trying to seriously hurt them. Considering how well you are doing against Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara and me, I don't think you have much to worry about.

"Is that so, sir?" I said doubtfully. "But training is a lot different than real fighting. Most say it's a lot easier and safer."

"Well of course it's safer. Usually no chance of dying. But listen here," he gripped my chin tighter, staring fiercely into my eyes, "trust me and what I say, and not what everyone else says, okay?" With that, he gave me that sweet, beautiful smile. My worries melted away, leaving me with a feeling of peace. We stayed that way for a moment, just gazing at each other.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Hiei slurred from the doorway, watching us with un unreadable expression. Kurama shook his head and stood. He exited the room with a small smile at Hiei. I also stood, but instead of leaving, I began to dress. Dressing and undressing (as long as it was only down to my undergarments) around Hiei didn't bother me. Kurama was a bit of a different matter, of course. Hiei waited until I was buttoning the buttons on my sleeveless blouse before speaking.

"You love him, don't you?" I froze. My fingers were trembling on the buttons.

"Am…Am I that transparent, sir?" My voice shook with nervousness. If Hiei had noticed, did that mean Kurama had?

"No," Hiei replied casually. I frowned in confusion, refusing to meet Hiei's eyes. "You forget, I'm a telepath."

Oh. Right then. I sighed in relief. Perhaps Kurama still remained blissfully ignorant. "Well, Sir Mind Reader," I said quietly, as if there was a risk of Kurama overhearing, "you're right. I'm in love with Kurama." Admitting that to someone other than myself…Felt oddly liberating. I was glad to have someone I could perhaps talk with about this.

"Hn. You confessed easier than I thought. I figured you would put up a little bit of a fight. But Kurama?" Hiei scoffed quietly.

"You don't approve?" I felt a sting. Did he not think I deserved a man like Kurama?

"No, that's not it." Hiei crossed his arms and began to pace slowly about the room. "It's just that I want you to be happy, Aya."

I followed him with my eyes. "And you don't think Kurama can make me happy?" I appreciated him concern for me, but at the same time it was completely depressing to have whatever hope left crushed.

"I'm…Not sure if he can.. I just don't know."

Great. Hiei was making this a whole lot worse. I felt a sharp pain in my heart. What was I supposed to do now? "So…You're telling me to give up?" The words were hard for me to say. Hiei stopped his pacing and looked at me.

"I never said that. Love is complicated and always uncertain. Just be careful when you dabble in it, okay?"

I thought about his words for a moment. I considered what I was feeling for Kurama to be a little more profound than 'dabbling.' "Have you ever been in love, Hiei?"

Hiei closed his crimson eyes. "No. And I doubt I ever will be. My life is devoted to my two sisters. I don't have time for any other women."

What? That didn't make sense. "Huh? Two? I thought you said you only had one sister. Who's the other?"

Hiei crossed to the door and gave me a _very_ pointed glare. He left the room.

I was surprised for a moment, but I knew very well what that look had meant. As I slowly followed Hiei out of the room, my demonic heart surged with love for my 'brother.' Now, if only Kurama were in love with me, I could consider myself the luckiest girl in all three worlds.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

"Kurama…" The redheaded fox demon turned to observe me. Oddly, his movements did not disturb the strange fog that covered the ground. He calmly watched me with his emerald eyes. But he wasn't wearing the kind, gentle expression he usually had when looking at me. He looked impatient, and slightly like he…Loathed me.

"I have something to say…" If I'd had any sense, I would have shut up by now. His eyes held no warmth as he regarded me. I foolishly ignored this, continuing to speak.

"I love you." Still Kurama did not move, speak, or react in any way. But he never lost that cold, hating expression.

I hesitated slightly at this. "Do…Do you feel anything for me?' I pressed. "Do you love me?"

This time, after a moment, Kurama opened his mouth to speak something that would either perfect my life or spell my doom. Then…

"No."

The word was so simple, yet it tore me apart in an instant. My legs grew too weak to support my light weight. I fell to my knees.

Without so much as a backward glance, Kurama turned and began to walk away. I reached out a hand towards him, even though I knew it was hopeless…

"Finally!" A loud shout woke my from my sleep. I groggily tried to get my bearings. Even through the just-awoken haze, I felt the overwhelming relief from being released from my nightmare as my noisy savior bounded into the room.

"Oh, sorry, Aya. I didn't know you weren't awake," Yusuke apologized quickly.

"No problem," I murmured as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, "I don't know mind." More than he could know.

"Say…" The black-haired detective said suspiciously, "what exactly _are_ you doing asleep in the middle of the afternoon?"

"You savagely beat me into a pulp last night, remember, sir?" I glared at him accusingly.

"Oh yeah…" Yusuke said, slightly mollified. "But I didn't think it was _that_ bad."

"Oh, it was that bad, sir. I needed about seventeen houses of sleep to heal my aura and my injuries…" I gestured to Yusuke to turn around and I slipped out from under the bedcovers.

Yusuke did as I had asked and I quickly dressed. I came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"So…What exactly is so exciting that you came busting into a lady's room for?" Yusuke snorted, presumably at the 'lady' part.

"Well," Yusuke began, excited yet again, "we got another assignment from the Spirit World. I was getting bored, waiting around for something to happen."

"Hold on," I said, scratching my head. From the stories about him that Kurama and Hiei had told me, his current excitement didn't coincide with his past disdains for the jobs. "I thought you _hated_ these assignments the Spirit World dishes out."

Yusuke gave me a sheepish grin. "Yeah, usually…But it's been too quiet lately, and kicking demon butt is better than trouncing college punks any day. Besides, Botan bribed me with front row seats to the next martial arts tournament!" He winked at me. "So, you ready for your first job as an official Spirit Detective?"


	10. Chapter 10

"Kuwabara! Watch your back!" I leapt over the tall, muscle-bound carrot top to slash apart two demons who were coming up behind him. My _chisakatana_ flashed through the air like lightning, sparks of electricity running up and down the blades.

Our mission was yet again an infiltration. But, not a human world one. This time in the demon world, in a sanctuary city for demonic refugees. From what the Spirit World had managed to gather, serious humanity-harming trouble was brewing in this city. Our job was simply to wipe out the entire town's inhabitants. When Botan had come to debrief us on the details of the assignment, she had informed us that the Spirit World had been looking for an excuse to clean out this city, and that they were ecstatic to finally have an acceptable reason. So thusly, we were dispatched.

"Thanks," Kuwabara called, not losing a beat as we whirled, back to back, slicing up demons left and right. The city was huge, and although the demons here weren't very strong, there were so many of them! And they were vicious, thirsting for blood. Particularly my blood. For some reason, whether it be human or demon, a female's blood was always tastier than a male's.

It was because of this that the boys seemed to be centered around me. I don't know if this was completely intentional or not. It might not have been, considering how the demons flocked to me and the only way to get near one was to get near me. I don't know. And I didn't have time to contemplate it. This was my first life or death battle where I actually knew what I was doing. I was slightly frightened, a little tired, and the numerous scratches I had received were throbbing annoyingly. I loved it.

A slash here, a parry there. This was almost like a well-practiced dance, just automatically responding to our 'partner's' (a.k.a. our enemies) movements. This was a thrill I had never experienced before.

And so, apparently, were my weapons. One nick from my electrified short swords was enough to send the weak demons into electrocuted convulsions. Usually I or one of the boys finished them off quick and with relish while they were in this helpless state.

Finally, after four hours of constant carnage, the sanctuary city was littered with bodies and there was no movement or aura except our own. We took a moment to sit on a low wall and rest.

All five of us were exhausted. There was a limit on even the amazingly long-lasting stamina of a demon. We were all also covered in minor lacerations and, not to mention, drenched in our victims' blood.

"You okay there, Mouse?" Kuwabara had a slightly annoying habit of calling me by my hacker nickname. Kinda like how he always called Yusuke 'Urameshi.' Except not.

"Huh. You look a lot worse than I do, sir." He actually did. That human dolt was worse at defending himself than an amateur like I was. And he had been at these kinds of things for a heck of a lot longer than I had. Kind of said, but then again, he relied on brawn and toughness while I was far more inclined towards speed and agility. Usually, avoiding one's opponent's attacks was a better defense than simply trying to be macho enough to just take the punishment.

"You're still badly injured, no matter what you may think." Suddenly, Kurama was there, carefully examining some of my more serious wounds. "They may not be dangerous by themselves, but they can add up to some impressive damage. Be ready for some medical attention when we get home."

Grumbling, I followed the others through a Koenma-made portal back to the human world.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

Back at home, Kurama kept to his promise and I was stripped down to my skivvies and being slathered with botanical ointment. After most of my skin was covered with small strips of bandage, I watched Hiei receive the same treatment as me. When he was done, we both stayed in the room as Kurama began to undress.

My heart thudded uncomfortably in my chest. I don't think I'd ever seen him with so little clothing before. Come to think of it, I hadn't really ever seen Kurama injured before, with the exception of he rock wound from the raid on the mansion.

"Hey," I said, as a sudden thought occurred to me, "how are you planning to reach the cuts on your back?"

Kurama shrugged. "Haven't thought that out yet. Don't worry, I'll improvise.

"Sheesh," I responded, reaching over to grab the salve and bandages out of his slightly surprised grasp. "You can't do _everything_ yourself, you know." I gestured to a spot on the bed in front of me.

Hiei politely excused himself from the room, muttering something about dinner. I glared at his back as he left, for his attempt at setting Kurama and I up. Although I couldn't see it, I could tell he was smirking in that mischievous way of his.

I sighed, and set about my task. With cold, trembling fingers, I lightly applied Kurama's special, homemade salve to the wounds on his back. It looked like he had gotten on the bad side of a nasty rose bush. Most of the cuts had been cause by the demons' claws, however.

I was quick and very gentle in my work. My speed and unwillingness to touch his body too much was caused by a myriad of emotions, ranging from awkwardness to a worry that he might not like me touching him.

"You're very good at this," Kurama commented when I was almost done.

I laughed softly. "I guess it just comes a little naturally for me." I had always been good at stuff like this.

He chuckled. "Maybe I could use you as an assistant."

"I'll consider it." I pressed the last bandage on his back with a little harder pressure, signifying that I was done. Kurama understood the gesture and stood to begin dressing in clean clothes. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down.

"You ready?" Hiei asked, as he suddenly popped back into the room.

I nodded, instantaneously depressed. It was time for my weekly visit to Tomosuke.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

Tomosuke. These weekly visits were torture for me. It's not that I didn't like seeing my brother…It's just that seeing him, looking so small and fragile in that huge hospital bed, hurt me. Yet…I knew I wouldn't trade the visits for anything. I needed to see my brother, just like I needed to breathe air, or drink blood.

I came for a short visit every Sunday. Usually Kurama or Hiei came with me, but every once in a while, Kuwabara and his sister Shizuru, or Yusuke and his girlfriend Keiko, or even the psychotically cheery Botan would accompany me instead. I didn't really mind whose company I got, however.

But in the months that I'd been living with Hiei and Kurama Tomosuke had not shown the slightest indication that he would wake up. I was terrified that he might not ever come out of his coma, but everyone assured me that comas usually took longer than a matter of months to recover from. Well, forgive me for worrying about my brother.

Hiei was very patient when it came to me visiting my brother. They all were. I didn't understand why any of my friends were going out of their way to make me happy like this. I didn't deserve it. I could do nothing in return for them. That bothered me.

Hiei and I walked into the hospital, looking, in our current, bandage-covered state, like we needed to be here more than the people in the waiting room. The receptionist recognized us, however, and just gave us her usual smile as a sign that we could continue on our way.

Tomosuke was the same as usual. Unresponsive. I pulled up a chair to the side of his bed and ran my fingers through his black hair; the complete opposite of my own. Just like every other time. Hiei stood a few feet away as usual, in a place where he could give me a bit of privacy, yet still keep a watchful eyes on me. Just the same, old thing.

Except then something happened that wasn't the usual. The door opened, and in stepped Kuwabara, followed by a pretty girl with aqua-blue hair, wearing a sky-blue kimono. She was very delicately lovely, with a small, slender figure. She emitted a emotional aura of extreme innocence. And another thing. She was definitely not human.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hiei tense up. The change wasn't obvious, but still very noticeable. At least to me. Kuwabara and the girl seemed oblivious to the fact.

"Hey!" Kuwabara said cheerfully, waving. "I thought I'd find you here. Look! Yukina came to visit!"

Yukina?! THE Yukina?! Hiei's sister?! Come to think of it, they were both of delicate and small frame (even though Hiei was several inches taller than her, and just a couple taller than me, he was still quite short for a man). Hut those vibrant red eyes were definitely the most similar characteristic. Hiei had told me that out of our group of friends, Kuwabara and Yukina were the only ones that didn't know that Yukina was Hiei's sister. After seeing all the similarities, especially those eyes, it puzzled me as to how they could not have figured that out. Maybe I was just being too harsh on them.

"Yukina," Kuwabara was saying, "this is the girl I told you about, Ayako Sasara. She likes to be called Aya."

Yukina bowed gracefully to me. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, miss," I responded, also bowing politely.

"Oh!" Yukina said in that sweet voice of hers, "You don't have to call me 'miss.' My name is just fine."

I opened my mouth to explain my annoying little habit, but before I could, Hiei, who had been standing by my side aloof and tense, finally spoke up.

"It's just something she does. A habit. Or you could call it a speech impediment, if you like." He elegantly dodged as I attempted to nudge him in the side with my elbow.

"I did bring Yukina here for a reason, though," Kuwabara said, seemingly wanting to bring himself back into the conversation. "She's a healer. I thought she might be able to do something for Tomosuke."

My slow-beating, demonic heart nearly stopped. She…Could heal him?! I took an anxious stop towards her. "Really?!"

The lovely ice maiden giggled. "I can try. I don't know for sure."

She approached Tomosuke, and positioned her hands to where they were hovering over his body. A silver-blue light began to emanate from her hands. Hiei move to the door and closed it, standing by it as a guard to make sure no one came in.

Yukina stayed in that position for several minutes. I was worried that whatever she was doing wasn't actually working. But then…

A rumbling reverberated in the room. Almost like an earthquake, except that this felt _wrong_. I didn't like it at all. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up…

"What's going on?" Kuwabara asked warily, looking around.

"Oh!" Yukina exclaimed, withdrawing her hands in shock. I understood the reason. Somehow, building up inside my baby brother, was a massive amount of demon energy. So much, that this flimsy human dimension couldn't handle it. That's what was causing the rumbling. But it had to be too much for Tomosuke's body to contain as well.

All those thoughts happened over the space of about a second. The rumbling sharply increased so that it was almost hard to stand up, and I could hear nothing else. I instinctively knew what was going to happen next. I reached out and grabbed Yukina, who was still right next to Tomosuke, around the waist and pulled her back. I pushed her a little roughly against the wall. She might end p with a bruise or two later because of that, if we survived this…I shielded her with my own body, and not a second too soon…

The awful, ominous rumbling gave way to an all-out _explosion._ Somehow, above all the noise, I heard Yukina scream, and went limp in my arms as were we both assaulted with power. My body exploded in agony, both inside and outside. The pain made me gasp, and I felt my body go numb as I went into shock. My knees gave out, and I sank to the ground, slumping over Yukina's unconscious form. There was another explosion…Aftershock, I suppose it could be called…Except it was worse than the first. This one was completely physical…The room shook and it was blown apart…I felt dirt and sawdust or something…Raining down on us…

I tried to stay awake and alert for as long as I could. But I could feel the…Darkness creeping into the edges of my mind…So I made an effort to take…In the scene around me while I could.

The hospital room was…Completely destroyed, from about five three feet off the ground up. It was lucky the hospital was only one floor tall…Or we would be covered in rubbish right now. There…Was no major debris in the room. as the explosion had…Blown all of it outwards, away from us…

I could hear…Screams, all around…Kuwabara already lay…Face-down by the window…Or…Should I say, where the window…Used to be…And like Yukina, he was…Unconscious. Hiei…was still at the…Door, awake and on his knees…Struggling to stand up…His…Body quivered before he finally…Collapsed and…Lost consciousness as well…The bed was…Empty…

The…Whole scene…Was hazy to me…But that was…Caused by the...Dust…From the…Ruined building…Or…Was it…My…Mental haziness…It was becoming…Very…Hard…To stay…Awake… Finally…I stopped fighting, and gave in to the blackness.


	11. Chapter 11

I shot awake, breathing hard. The sights from the hospital were deeply embedded in my mind, with vivid clarity.

"Welcome back." Hiei was lounging on a window sill. Looking around a moment, and I recognized the room. We were in Kurama's overly large master bedroom, with four cots replacing the normal, king-sized bed. Kuwabara was fast asleep on one of them, while Yukina was sitting on another, and one was empty. The last one was the one I was climbing out of.

"We're being detained," Hiei explained, in a dull, bored voice. "We're not allowed to leave this room until the extra demon energy has worn off. We all got blasted with a huge amount. It might take a while."

"Extra demon energy…?" I murmured, running my hand through my hair. Come to think of it, I did feel like I was carrying quite a bit more weight around than usual.

"Yes. When we were pelted with that explosion of demon energy, it infected our bodies with a lot of excess aura. That's what caused us to pass out. You got it the worst, and Yukina the lightest, thanks to you. Kuwabara was able to duck and cover in time to escape almost all of it. However, considering he's completely human, it's had the worst effect on him. I suspect he'll be out for several more hours yet. You've been asleep for two and a half weeks, by the way." Yukina, who had been watching Hiei in amazement (probably because she had never heard him say so many words at one time), gave a little squeak of worry at the mention of Kuwabara's condition and hurried over to his bed. Hiei watched her with a look of slightly infuriated disgust. Probably at the fact that his beloved sister seemed to have feelings for the lanky human. But, he took the opportunity of her distraction to hop off the sill and saunter over to me.

"Thank you," he whispered, too quietly for Yukina to hear, "for protecting her."

"Of course," I said, giving him a little wink, "I mean, she's like my sister, too. You know, through familiar relation, sir."

Hiei smirked and walked back to the window as the door opened. Kurama pushed his way in.

"Aya! I'm glad to see you're finally awake."

"Mmmm." I replied. The excess energy seemed to be making me a bit sluggish now.

Kurama hesitated. "Actually…I need to talk to you. Can you come outside for a minute?"

I frowned. His tone made it sound like something was wrong. Anxiety crept into my dulled nerves. "I thought I was being 'quarantined' and not allowed to leave."

"You seem quite adept at absorbing other demons' aura and adapting to it. I don't think you're 'contagious' anymore. Besides, it's important." The edge on Kurama's voice scared me. He held a hand out to me. "Please?"

I swallowed nervously and took his hand. He led me out of the room and down the hall to my bedroom. He made me sit on the bed, before pacing around the room a little. His conspicuous worry was making me worry! Finally, he turned to face me.

"Do you know where the explosion came from?"

Oh, I knew. But admitting it would only make it actually seem real. As if it was the truth and there was nothing we could do about it. So I shook my head.

I think Kurama suspected that I knew anyway. But still, he was tactful enough to humor me. He cleared his throat.

"The power…Came from your brother."

I closed my eyes sadly. So it was true. My brother had been turned into a demon.

Kurama approached me and sat on the bed next to me. He took my hand gently in his. "This next part will be very difficult for you to hear."

Next? There was more? And what could be worse than finding out my baby brother, my only surviving blood relative, was a bloodthirsty monster? I waited with bated breath.

Telling me the information seemed to hurt Kurama, like he didn't want to torture me with whatever he was about to tell me. "I think…No, I know…" He paused to take a breath, then decided to spit it out all at once, causing his tact to go down a few points. "Your brother's dead. He has been, ever since the night that demon attacked your house. He was killed then."

I stared at him in incredulity. "What? No, that's not right sir. He was in a coma, remember? He was alive." I was instantly aware that I was entering the first and second phases of grief all at once: Shock and denial.

Kurama hesitated. "Well, yes, in a way. His body was - still is. But not his soul. You see, after the hospital incident, Hiei woke up only a couple of hours later. He told me that story and I did some research. I found that the demon who had attacked your family was a parasite demon. They're the types you always hear about in cases involving possession. This particular breed takes over someone's body, killing the soul to make room for theirs, and they 'live' the host's life. The aura of the host masks the aura of the parasite. The demon's soul we're dealing with was too injured to be able to wake up after it infected Tomosuke. Yukina healed it, thus releasing it."

Infected? Parasite? Host? It was awful thinking of my brother using these terms. I felt numb, but Kurama's unnecessarily detailed explanation jolted awake the pain. This couldn't be happening! No, I couldn't lose Tomosuke. Not now, not ever!

I seemed to be disconnected from my body. The next thing I knew, I was falling back onto the bed - fainting from the psychological shock. I felt Kurama's sturdy arms around my shoulders, catching me. I gave in to the darkness with no resistance.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

Ever since I had first met Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yusuke, I had fainted more often than any normal person would in their whole life. But then again, I wasn't exactly normal anymore. Nothing was normal or right in my world. I think I had reasonable cause to blame my frequent fainting 'spells' on the fact that I still had a teenage girl's mind, even if I was in a demon's body now. That, and the fact that I seemed to be the one getting hurt most, out of all the guys. Not my fault.

I felt numb and emotionless when I awoke, but it was only the mental shock that had shut down my emotions for the time being. Thank whatever god or gods existed. If not, I am not sure how I could've dealt with the emotion agony of losing my brother at the moment. Tomosuke had been the only solid, normal thing connecting me to my old life. My soothing comfort. My shelter in the storm. The one sane person in this mad insane asylum. And now that was gone. I felt like I was drowning in darkness.

I just stared at the cup of hot jasmine tea that Kurama had brought me. Any other day, I loved jasmine tea. But now I felt like going on strike and refusing to eat or drink ever again. Unfortunately, if that as what I chose to do, I knew it wouldn't last. One of the boys would end up forcefully shoving nourishment down my throat if they had to. Sometimes being cared about wasn't too great. Made suicide and self-mutilation a lot more difficult.

"Drink," Kurama commanded gently. He pushed the cup up to my lips. At his touch, I felt waves of soothing relief wash over me, numbing the pain. I close my eyes and sipped. Was it possible, with the help of Kurama and Hiei, to recover and pull through this?

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

"That damned parasite demon will want revenge. We probably will have to kill it," Hiei stated. He didn't usually take active parts in discussing missions with the others, but I guess since this affected me so personally, he felt more enraged by it. The comment itself would have seemed completely cold and ruthless if he hadn't have had his hand resting reassuringly on my shoulder. I was sipping expressionlessly from a cup. My beverage of Kurama's choice this time was iced blood.

Yusuke shot a cautionary glance at me. "How can we do that, when he's Aya's…?" Yusuke broke off, leaving us to finish the sentence in our minds.

"He's not my brother anymore," I said dryly, holding the cup an inch away from my mouth. "My Tomo was a gentle little weakling who neither had the strength or the capability to hurt a fly. The only one he ever was able to intimidate was his twin sister, Kiki - Kiyoko." I took another sip to ease my mouth that had suddenly gone dry, and the relieve the pressure behind my eyeballs, as I felt tears well up. I swallowed and kept my gaze pointed at the floor.

All four boys just stared at me. I felt the need to continue. I cleared my throat, hoping I could speak clearly and with confidence.

"There's no way around it. We'll have to destroy h-him…" My voice broke on the last word. I flushed at my failure to remain confident. The reaction I got from the boys was more silence. Simple, shocked silence. I stood, my whole body trembling.

"We need to prepare ourselves.," I said in what I prayed was an inspirational voice. With this declaration of war, my choice was made, and there was no backing out of it. I needed to show the others that I could do this, and wasn't just going to become a liability. "That spawn-from-hell monster is going to do some serious damage if we don't get to it and strike as soon as possible. Who's with me?!" My self-esteem took a serious blow as no one immediately answered. Then, suddenly, all four boys jumped up and cheered. Well, the cheering came from Yusuke and Kuwabara. Hiei leaned against the wall, his eyes closed (all three of 'em), with a satisfied smirk. But it was Kurama that caught my eye. He stared at me, with a proud, yet still dashing, smile. Confidence flowed through me, and I suddenly felt assured of our victory. I smiled back.

* * *

Sorry to everyone who wanted a happy ending for Tomosuke! Sorry sorry sorry! But yeah, Tomosuke is already dead. Basically, the demon is inhabiting his body. His souls is dead, but still trapped in his body, as well. That way, the demon can access Tomo's memories and all...It's confusing. It is possible that Aya accidentally killed Tomo when she blew up the house, but...I'd like to say that the demon killed him when he took over his body.

Sorry!


	12. Chapter 12

A few hours Later, in the dead of night, I sat downstairs on the couch in the dark. The guys were all sleeping in various rooms of Kurama's house, resting up for the anticipated battle. I couldn't sleep, though. I was terrified, relieved, sad, angry, and anxious, all rolled into one.

The lights blazed to life and I jumped in surprise as Kurama walked across the living room to stand in front of me.

"Thought you could use some company," he said, while handing me a mug of warm milk.

"Can't sleep?" I asked, accepting the drink while still blinking rapidly to adjust my eyes to the sudden brightness.

"Too much on my mind."

"Me too." I savored the taste of the milk flowing over my tongue. As I drank, I began to think. Thoughts that made me lower the mug.

I could die tomorrow. We all could. At least one of us probably would. And if I did…Unless I acted now, I would never know…

"Kurama," I asked impetuously, disturbing the comfortable silence we had been sitting in, "do you want to play a game?"

"What kind of game?" He sounded amused.

"It's called 'Questions,' sir," I said, making it up as I went along. "It's where I ask you a question, then you ask me one. The questions can be about anything and the one who answers has to tell the honest truth, no matter what. You game?" I swallowed nervously at my lame attempt to disguise my objective.

Kurama smiled. "Sounds fun. You first."

"Um…Alright…Did you ever wish you weren't a demon?"

"Every day. I hate lying to my mother, and step-family about who I am. Do you like any sports?"

"Ugh." I replied, making a face. "Besides martial arts and all, I hate doing anything physical. Classic stereotype of a computer geek, sir. If you could turn back time and change one thing, what would it be?"

"I'd save my partner Kuronue. He was a bat demon who was killed on a heist in my last life. Do you ever wish you hadn't been in the school yard all those months ago, when we first met?"

Oh, that was a difficult question. "Well…Everything I knew and loved before has been destroyed, and that is something I will forever regret. But, I also got a new family, one that I love more than anything." I took a long drink of milk. "Do _you _ever wish I hasn't been in the school yard then?"

"Hmmm…Well, I wish for your sake you hadn't. You've been put through so more pain than anyone should ever face. I wish more than anything that you could have been spared that. But, for my own selfish reasons, I'm glad you were. As horrible as that sounds. I know Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara would say the same."

My curiosity wasn't sated, and I wanted to ask another question. But it wasn't my turn, and I waited for Kurama.

He seemed to know I had more to ask. He smiled. "You can ask another. I don't mind." He waited patiently for me to ask the question. I quickly set down my mug, my breath quickening. It was know or never.

"Ummm, Kurama…" I almost lost my courage. I swallowed, and forced myself to continue. "Do you…Like me?"

Kurama frowned. "Which way?"

It was getting harder to breathe and my heart was beating impossibly fast for a demon. "Oh, you know…" I replied, trying to sound casual. "Romantically." There. I'd said it. No going back now.

"No," Kurama replied calmly.

I blinked in shock. Wow. I think I had just scored the world record for fastest rejection. As the shock gave way to my heart squeezing and thumping in intense pain, I closed my eyes against the tears. Well, I had learned my lesson. I kept them closed, knowing that looking at Kurama right now would send me over the edge. I felt his tender fingers lift my chin.

"Look at me," he commanded gently. I opened my eyes reluctantly. "I don't like you. But, it's something different. Something else…I love you."

Wait, HUH?! Had I gone into delusions again? "Beg pardon?"

Kurama chuckled softly. "I'm in love with you, Aya."

I pinched myself discreetly. Ouch. That stung…You have GOT to be kidding me! This was no dream, no hallucination. It was real. Kurama was really in love with me!

He was still smiling, his fingers moving from my chin to gently stroke my cheek. "You should probably say something," he reminded me.

That sentence snapped me back from my happy dream world into reality. I threw my arms around Kurama, burying my face in his chest. "I love you, too." I whispered softly, but not so much that he couldn't hear.

He hugged me back tightly as I confessed. Then he pulled back a bit and leaned his face towards me. I closed my eyes and my heart skipped a beat as it imagined what was going to happen next.

"Well, well, look at the two lovebirds." I jumped at the sound of another voice, simultaneously smacking my head against Kurama's. As I leaned back, holding my head in pain (out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kurama was doing the same), I saw the speaker, Yusuke, standing at the far end of the living room. Flanking him were Hiei and Kuwabara, all three grinning mischievously.

I growled in annoyance of being interrupted. "Doesn't anybody get some sleep around here?" I snapped.

"Well, we heard noises, so we decided to come check," Yusuke said innocently.

"Right," I snarled viciously, "and _all_ three of you were worried enough to come and interrupt. Thanks a lot. I can see what good friends I have now."

"Aw, don't be mad, Aya." Kurama cajoled gently. Then, with a devilish wink, said, "There'll be more where that came from." While that statement induced hope and excitement from me, it also caused the three voyeurs to giggle wildly. I snapped, and leapt up to chase them around the room with a small dagger made out of lightning.

With the boy of my dreams having told me he was in love with me, having a wonderful brother-figure like Hiei, and having three great friends like Yusuke and Kuwabara (not to mention the others I'd met on this mad adventure like Keiko, Yukina, Botan, and Koenma) life couldn't get any better. The only thing spoiling my perfect paradise was the destruction of the last iota of my old life looming in the horizon.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

After a half hour of commotion, the five of us voted on more sleep. More sleep equals stronger fighters, after all. I lay in bed, but each time I closed my eyes, I was met with horrific visions of Tomosuke…Combined with blood and severed body parts. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. I snuck to the doorway of Kurama's room, wishing to wake him and have him comfort me. But, I didn't dare. He needed his rest. And besides, what if he wouldn't want me here? I mean, sure, he loved me, but that didn't mean we were in any relationship, did it? As I stood debating my choices, a voice came from the dark.

"Is something wrong, Aya?"

I jumped, proving to be as jittery as the small rodent I was nicknamed after. After calming down a bit, I took a small step into the dark room.

"I…Can't sleep. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here, but I…" I stopped, as Kurama slipped out of his bed and walked over to me.

"Nightmares?" He asked, softly running his hand across my cheek.

"Yes," I replied quietly, enjoying the sensation of his touch. "How did you know?"

"I just do. Come on." He took my wrist and began pulling me back towards his bed.

"Whoa!" I hissed, "Kurama, what are you…?"

"Nothing illicit, that's for sure. Just…Sleeping in the same bed with me will help you with your nightmares, I think. Unless you're not okay with that…"

My heart skipped a beat. "No, I'm very okay with that, sir."

Kurama chuckled and slid back into bed. I followed suit, laying my back against his chest. He laid his arm across my body. I snuggled closer to him, already feeling myself calming down. I waited until I felt Kurama's breath deepen in slumber, before closing my eyes, accepting the darkness.

**(^^) ( ^^ ) (^^)**

I didn't say a word to anyone the next morning. What could I say? We were about to go and destroy the person who had once been my baby brother. I put on a brave face, set myself to go through with it, but inside, I could feel myself falling apart as I thought of my old life, full of memories of my mother, sister, and my sweet, sweet Tomosuke. If we did succeed in killing the parasite demon that inhabited Tomosuke's body, what would I do then?

The three boys were equally silent. They knew the enormity of what was to be done. The only thing that was different than it otherwise would've been was the constant presence of Kurama's hand enclosing my own. I could feel the minutes ticking on, while we waited. For what?

I knew. The boys were waiting for me to make the first move. This 'mission,' if it could even be called that, was going to be under my leadership, and the others weren't willing to make a move without me. And I couldn't delay it forever.

Releasing Kurama's hand, I stood up so fast, it caused the others to jump. "Let's go," was all I said. I walked out of the house, with the four boys following sullenly behind.

* * *

Aw, fluffness!

A bit of warning: the next chapter is going to be a little gory. I'm not good with gory, so you might not think it is, but I thought it was. Just a warning.

Another warning: the next chapter is LONG.


	13. Chapter 13

It wasn't hard to track down Tomosuke. It had something to do with his blood being the same as mine, even if ours were both tainted by different demon energies. He was in an abandoned warehouse (how cliché is that?) on the outskirts of town.

I clutched my laptop to my stomach, completely shut off my emotions. I had to, or else the moment I saw Tomosuke (even if it wasn't really him) I would break down. I refused to look at Kurama, knowing how his eyes would betray the concern he had for me right now. Hiei walked even closer to me than Kurama, and his presence strengthened me enough so I could continue on.

The pace I set was brisk. All I could think was, The sooner we get there, the sooner this hell is over with. I didn't allow myself the pleasure of thinking. There was no way. And even though I wanted to get there quicker, the warehouse rose over the horizon, all too soon.

The aura radiating from it was nearly stifling. Even Hiei, as strong and demonic as he was, was having trouble breathing through it. I was caught off guard by the smell: sugar and sweat; just like I always remembered Tomosuke smelling. I swayed, but before I could lose myself completely, I felt two hands on my shoulders, steadying me. Hiei and Kurama. Composing myself, I nodded to them. I was ready.

I was tensed, expecting any sort of trap using some form of dismemberment when I opened the door. Nothing. The warehouse was dark, and the wind whistled through the holes caused by lack of maintenance. My nerves and senses went into overdrive as I tried to feel where exactly Tomosuke was, and wary for a sudden attack. But I wasn't prepared for what did happen.

"Sis?" A small voice whined. I felt a tug on my jeans. In horror, I looked down, into the sweet face of my baby brother. Except…He was covered in blood, his right hand was missing, and more blood was gushing out of an empty eye socket. The way he was standing was weird, too, like both of his legs had been broken. I froze in shock. His mouth opened, and I saw no teeth or tongue. "It hurts, Sis. It's going to hurt you."

"Wretch!" Hiei yelled, slashing at Tomosuke. Tomosuke leapt out of the way before Hiei's sword could connect, and I heard child's laughter, echoing around the warehouse.

"Show yourself!" Kurama demanded, rose whip at the ready. I saw Yusuke and Kuwabara also preparing for battle, but I stayed still. My mind was completely out to lunch.

The flare of bright lights made me flinch, as the warehouse was suddenly lit up. We saw ourselves standing at the entrance to what looked like a maze made out of steel boxes. As the boys started to go in, I stayed where I was. Kurama grabbed my hand.

"Come on," he said softly. "We have to go." I numbly nodded, and started to follow, my movements a little jerky. Kurama let go of my hand, instead placing his on my lower back, gently urging me forward.

The maze was nothing special, just a path to follow. No traps, no nothing. Except for the taunting. Tomosuke's voice echoed through the maze, laughing and saying phrases Tomosuke had always said in life. Each word felt like a knife twisting in my heart. I was grateful when the voice stopped, only realizing a second later that Kurama had put his hands over my ears. I walked forward, Kurama effortlessly keeping his hands in place as he glided along beside me. It almost felt like I was getting more courage from him, and soon, we had caught up with the others. Hiei, when he glanced back and saw us, gave me a little smile. I didn't bother to return it.

I was frightened when Kurama removed his hands from my ears. I made a move to cover them my selves, before stopping, puzzled. It was dead silent in the warehouse now. Which made me all the more nervous.

"We must be nearing the end," Kurama said, breaking the silence. I didn't even feel like asking how he knew that. And indeed, a second later, we walked out from between the last steel boxes. It was darker over here, as several of the lights were burnt out. I saw two silhouettes, moving towards us, out of the darkness. The whole team went on guard, and I turned my laptop into the chisakatana. When the silhouettes emerged, I dropped my weapons, following them a second later as my knees gave out.

Ghosts, perhaps. Of Kiyoko and my mother. They looked the same as I had last seem them, moments before I had blown up the house. Mum was bruised and bleeding from various wounds all over her body. She seemed to be having trouble walking. Kiyoko's neck was beyond bruised, and bent to a position that made my stomach churn. She stumbled every couple of steps. Their faces were twisted in expressions of murderous joy. I couldn't move.

The next thing I was aware of, Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara had stepped in front of me, weapons drawn. I could hear yelling, but my mind couldn't decipher the words.

The scene moved in slow motion. The boys, attacking the ghosts of my mother and sister. Mum and Kiyoko kept advancing, as if the boys and their weapons didn't even exist. All the while, their dead eyes stayed glued to me.

I was beyond terrified. I wanted to run, to get out of this nightmare as quick as possible. But I couldn't get my body to obey what my mind was screaming at it to do. Each step the ghosts took towards me might as well mean my death. Even now, I was wondering if I could ever mentally recover from this if we lived through it. I was dimly aware that I wasn't breathing, and that my heart was about ready to explode from my chest.

And then, suddenly, the ghosts were standing right above me. I dimly moved my eyes to meet theirs, and both extended a hand to reach around my throat. The instant I felt their decaying flesh touch my skin, they burst into dust.

The boys flew to my side, Kurama skidding as he threw himself to his knees, to see if I was okay. I continued to stare at the place where they had been a second before. My sanity seemed to be teetering on the edge. A soft voice began singing.

"Did you ever think, as a hearse goes by,

That you might be the next to die?

They wrap you up in a big white sheet,

And bury you down about six feet deep

They put you in a big black box,

And cover you up with dirt and rocks,

And all goes well, for about a week,

And then the coffin begins to leak!

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,

The worms play pinochle on your snout

They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,

They eat the jelly between your toes.

A great big worm with rolling eyes,

Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes,

Your stomach turns a slimy green,

And pus pours out like whipping cream.

You spread it on a slice of bread,

And that's what worms eat when you're dead."

I heard Kuwabara make a sort of "eyuck" sound. I only listened quietly to the disturbingly morbid song as he continued on, singing every line. It was one I had taught Kiyoko and Tomosuke on Halloween last year. It had given Kiyoko nightmares for weeks, and Tomosuke would follow her around, singing it purely to tease her. The song had only been a fun little ditty before. But now, as I remembered the horrific ghosts that had been inches away a minute ago, it carried a whole new meaning. For the first time since entering the warehouse, I felt something else besides horror. Rage.

I sprang to my feet, screaming into the shadows. "How dare you make a joke of my pain?! Come out, now!" As the echoes of my shriek began to fade, a quiet laugh filled the silence. The monster that had the audacity to laugh at my pain walked slowly from the shadows. I was the tiniest bit relieved to see that it had assumed a immaculate, uninjured form of Tomosuke. It would be harder to destroy something that looked exactly like my brother, though. But I was ready. I wouldn't stand anymore of this torture.

The chisakatana were still lying at my feet. Swiftly, I bent to grab them before facing Tomosuke again. The boys backed off, knowing this was a fight I had to finish myself. But, apparently, Tomosuke wasn't going to allow that.

With a wicked grin, he raised his hand. Appearing out of nowhere, in a massive poof of dust, were now hundreds of zombies, filling the space of the warehouse, and enclosing us in. It left a wide area for me and Tomosuke, but now the boys automatically assigned themselves to walking corpse-extermination. I turned to focus on my own fight.

To my surprise, Tomosuke was already holding a weapon. Some sort of broken and rotting…Bone. Yeah, a femur bone. Fantastic. Just the thing I needed to make this fight all the more entertaining. Seriously, right now, getting cut to shreds and doused in lemon juice sounded more fun than my life.

Drat.

Tomosuke made the first move, Sweeping at my legs with the bone. Leaping up, I stuck one blade of my weapons into the ground, using it as a pivot point to swing my foot at Tomosuke. He crouched, swinging the bone up to connect with my hip. I twisted, avoiding the worst of the damage, but I knew that I would have at least a major bruise in the morning. My foot came down on the bone as I righted myself, and Tomosuke, not to be deterred, swung his free fist at my face. Because I didn't exactly have a free hand to block, I sliced my sword through the air. The next second, Tomosuke's left hand fell to the ground as he leapt back. I waited at the ready, prepared when he would lunge at me again.

Tomosuke looked at the bleeding stump he had left, and merely smiled at him. His stump began to twitch and wriggle. Before I could breath again, his hand had completely regrown. This was so unfair.

"Good as new," Tomosuke hissed, still giving me that same smug smile. Only, his voice was no longer the childlike one I remembered. This one was guttural and primitive. Monstrous. The same one I had heard the night Mum and Kiyoko had been killed. If I hadn't been furious before, the memories these voice brought back sure did it.

With an angry snarl, I threw myself at the demon. Tomosuke didn't seem to expect my sudden attack, and I almost caught him off guard. Almost. He countered me at the last moment, throwing me off balance and driving the bone into my solar plexus. The fire of pain flared in my stomach. I could feel one of my broken ribs rupture my liver. I instantly leapt back, to my edge of the circle. Tomosuke waited calmly on his side. I coughed, and blood dripped down the side of my mouth. I wiped it off on the back of my hand, and glared at Tomosuke. He laughed. My anger spiked at that awful sound. But, I didn't attack him immediately this time. My speed would be dramatically decreased by my wound, and it would be too easy for him to dodge.

That smug smile was so annoying. "So what now, 'Sis?'" Tomosuke taunted. "You can't win. You're far weaker than I am. Shall we just keep fighting until you give up and die?" Tomosuke's face melded into something that I assumed was supposed to be mock sympathy. "So you can finally be with your pathetic family again?"

"Scum." I hissed, earning another scorning laugh from the demon. Then, before I could blink, Tomosuke had leapt at me, knocking me to the ground. Urk…My rib bone dug deeper into my liver. Tomosuke took the opportunity to stomp on both of my wrists, forcing me to let go of my chisakatana. I panted, and struggled to get up, but Tomosuke was too physically strong for me right now. In the back of my mind, I was depressed at my own ability that a seven-year-old boy could manage to hold me down this easily.

But Tomosuke wasn't done. He slammed his foot down on my throat. I gasped, my breath getting stuck in my throat. I felt tiny blood vessels breaking all over my neck, creating what would be horrible bruises. I was already running out of breath…

Something green sliced right in front of me. Tomosuke stumbled back, his foot completely severed from his leg. Blood began to spurt all over me. I scrambled out from under the foot and to my feet.

"Keep away from her!" Kurama yelled, snapping his rose whip back. He looked furious. Tomosuke grinned at him, stepping towards him on a brand new, regrown foot.

"Looks like I've finally found a good playmate."

* * *

So, about the song. It's an actual song. It's called "The Worms Crawl In."

My mother taught it to me. Looking back now...I guess it's kinda gross, isn't it? Well, this whole chapter kind of was. Sorry about that. It'll get better!


	14. Chapter 14

I stayed my distance, trying to regain the ability to breath while Tomosuke approached him. My instincts were screaming for me to get Tomosuke away from Kurama, but my body wouldn't obey.

"Kurama…" I hissed, the sound of my voice barely audible because of my nearly-crushed throat. He didn't look. He was fully concentrated on Tomosuke now.

I dimly was aware that the three other boys had come up to stand beside me. Apparently. The zombies had all be laid out. Hiei's hand hovered above my shoulder, as if asking if I was okay. I didn't reply. I was too scared for Kurama.

As I watched him fight, I realized that I had never before seen Kurama _truly_ fight. He was sensational! But still…

"He's not going to win. Tomosuke's just _toying_ with him." I whispered, hoping the boys had heard the panic in my tone.

They had. They all looked tense. "How could there be a demon stronger than Kurama?"

Hiei scoffed. "Don't be an idiot. There are a lot of demons stronger than him."

I glared angrily at Hiei. "You're _really_ not helping the situation any, sir."

Hiei shrugged. "Whoever said I was going to?" But I could tell. He was worried senseless about Kurama. They all were, in one way or another. Which was something that terrified me. If they were scared for Kurama, even if Kurama was this strong…!

I stood suddenly, shocking the others. "I've got to help," I hissed. I started forward, and was stopped instantly by three pairs of hands holding me back.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke yelled. "You'll be killed!"

"You don't get it!" Hiei snarled. "You don't understand how powerful he is!"

I struggled against their grasp. "No, YOU don't get it!" I hissed back, as loud as I could. My voice (or lack of it) grew shrill. "That's my brother and the boy I love out there!"

That seemed to get my point across. Although none of them loosened their grip.

"Think about what you're doing, Aya!" Kuwabara said desperately.

"I have!" I gasped, "_And I will do whatever it takes to protect Kurama_!"

They were quiet for a minute, while Kurama and Tomosuke battled on…Then Hiei let me go, pushing the others' hands off me as well. Then he stepped in front of me, looking intensely into my eyes.

"I don't like what you're doing. But if you need it, know that I've got your back."

I nodded, flipping my swords back into my hands. "I'll rip his throat out."

I dashed forward, leaping at Tomosuke. I dodged Kurama's whip as it sliced towards Tomosuke. Kurama looked surprised for a moment, as he saw me. He fell back as I attacked, careful not to get me in the range of his whip. I felt slightly cowardly for ganging up on Tomosuke, but right now, I was a little more worried about Kurama.

Ignoring the fire of pain I felt all over my body, I struck at Tomosuke. His amused look at my attack only infuriated me more. Tomosuke easily avoided my attack, and leapt out of the way of Kurama's as well. I tried to think of all the hours I had spent training with Kurama, trying to think of a good strategy we could use. Nothing came to mind. I continued to lunge at the demon, attacking furiously.

Kurama wasn't doing so well now. He seemed to be trying to protect me and destroy Tomosuke at the same time. I had become a burden for him, and as I saw livid bruises arise on his skin, courtesy of Tomosuke's attacks, I felt like screaming.

Suddenly, Tomosuke leapt back, away from the both of us. "Bored now," he said mockingly. He raised his hand, pointing his flat palm towards Kurama. Although I didn't quite know what was going to happen, I opened my mouth to yell a warning. Kurama tried to jump out of the way, but Tomosuke followed him. A streak of decaying green something-or-other (that smelled like rotting flesh, might I add) flew at Kurama.

"NO!" I shrieked, as it exploded on Kurama's chest. Blood splattered all over me. The expression in his beautiful green eyes was shocked, as his mouth dropped open in an 'o.' The smell of his blood permeated the air, almost stronger than the smell of whatever Tomosuke had thrown at him. He fell to his knees, looking down in surprise at the massive, bleeding wound that covered his torso. A second later, his eyes closed and collapsed.

The three other boys cried his name and ran to him, while I remained where I was, covered in his blood. I felt numb. The only thing I _could_ feel was the lightning beginning to trickle all up and down my arms.

Then, it felt like something in me exploded. Before I knew it, I was screaming, and everyone was looking at me in horror. My aura burst from me so forcefully that it shattered most of the boxes that closed us in. The bodies of the defeated zombies began to disintegrate. My clothes ripped and shred as the power became too much for them to handle. But I barely even noticed any of this. My eyes were fixed on Tomosuke. All I was concentrating on was the look of fear that was spreading over his features.

I was dimly aware of Yusuke and Hiei dragging Kurama away, and Kuwabara leading the way, running for cover. I was trying my hardest to contain my power in fear of killing them, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold it in. Then the screaming began.

It wasn't me screaming this time. Five different voices. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and even Hiei were all screaming. And then…Two more voices. The distorted voice of the demon, and the boyish voice of my brother.

Terror and emotional agony washed over me as I regained my senses and desperately tried to control my power. As hard as I fought, a nagging voice in the back of my mind was reminding me that I was fighting a losing battle.

Then, all at once, it released. I felt an unimaginable calm flow over me. Around me, I saw the factory begin to dissolve, as a bright, electrified white light expanded from my body. I couldn't feel any of it. I did feel a small shock when the light finally made contact with Tomosuke. His expression…Complete shock…But I saw the undertone of sorrow…And relief.

I wasn't aware that the power stopped. Not until I felt my knees hit the floor. Across the small circle, I saw Tomosuke mirror my actions. Before I knew it, I had scrambled to my feet and raced across to him, to catch him before he could completely fall.

This was him. Tomosuke. I had eradicated the demon from him fully and totally. He was my little, untainted brother again. I hugged him close to me. Tears began to pour down my cheeks, as I felt his life energy begin to slip away.

"A-Aya?" I heard a faint voice. I pulled Tomosuke enough away from my chest to see his face. He was smiling, even as he failed to fight back the tears from his own eyes.

"I'm here," I promised, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady. "I'll always be here, Tomo."

"I'm glad." He smiled, a happy, genuine smile, and then…His eyes closed and he slipped away.

I don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life. I didn't know how much time passed, only that I couldn't let go of Tomosuke's body.

I barely felt it when Yusuke began to tug on my shoulder. His voiced sounded like it was muted, and I had a hard time making out the words. "Aya, Aya, we have to go!" I suddenly became aware of the shaking, and realized that the warehouse was about to collapse on us.

I struggled to my feet, refusing to let go of Tomosuke. I followed the others out of the warehouse (Kurama had been slung over Kuwabara's back). We sat at a safe distance while we watched the warehouse crumble. Looking at the rubble brought back memories of my own house that I had also demolished. I felt empty.

"Aya," Yusuke was saying, "we need to go."

Hiei laid a hand on the small of my back and pushed me forward. "Everything will be okay," he whispered, as if eager to believe it himself. "Somehow, it will."

(^^) (^^) (^^)

Koenma sat at his desk, sorting through papers as Ayame escorted a soul in. Koenma looked up, and instantly the concerns that the papers voiced were forgotten.

The young boy didn't see scared or sad to be dead, but instead, he looked around the office in pure curiosity. Koenma sighed sadly, absentmindedly straightening up the papers. He wasn't sure how to deal with this one. He set the papers down, and folded his hands on top of them.

"Well," he said, his voice strained, "you've done nothing bad in your life, as the demon's actions were uncontrollable by you. You've earned a full ride to heaven, shall we say."

The boy continued to smile, a smile that seemed to light up the room. "If it's alright, I'd like to stay on earth."

Koenma frowned. "As a ghost? That's not going to be very fun for you, but I am sure we could arrange that…" Before he could finish his sentence, . the boy was already shaking his head.

"Not as a ghost. As a guardian angel."

A guardian angel? Koenma thought about it. It would take some strings, but he was sure it could happen. "Do I even need to ask who you want to be a guardian angel for?"

The boy just smiled. Koenma couldn't resist smiling back, as he stamped the boy's sheet.

"Protect your sister well, Tomosuke."

As he ran back to Ayame so she could put him through the proper procedures and take him back to the human world, Tomosuke grinned.

"I will!"


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

One Year Later

I kneeled on the stone ground in front of the tombstones, praying. Yes, I know I was a demon. But still, I was allowed to follow human traditions. As soon as I was done with my prayer, I leaned forward and ran my fingers along the engraved names.

YASASHIKU SASARA

1961 - 2005

EVELYN SASARA

1967 - 2007

KIYOKO SASARA

2000 - 2007

TOMOSUKE SASARA

2000-2007

I let my fingers linger on the last name. Memories flooded back, and I felt my heart grow heavy.

I stared at an empty spot on the other side of Tomosuke's grave. Someday, I hoped to be buried there when I died. But, in however many centuries that might be, this graveyard might not even be here then.

"Aya?" A beautiful, silky voice called my name. I turned to see my redheaded fiancé smiling at me from the path, a few meters down. I shook my head to fee my mind of the memories, before standing and walking over to Kurama.

He held out a hand to me. "Are you ready to go?" I smiled as my simple engagement ring glittered on my finger as I took his hand.

Holding hands, we turned to walk out of the cemetery.

"Perhaps we shouldn't have come to the cemetery today," Kurama mused, "it could be bad luck."

"Hmmm? What do you mean?"

"Well," he chuckled, "Keiko's teaching Hiei to cook right? He'll probably poison us all."

I laughed. "Give him a break. He means well. What was that he said? That he'd probably end up being the one taking care of me when I'm 'barefoot and pregnant?'"

Kurama bent down and stole a kiss from me before I could do anything about it. "I'll never let that happen. I'm the one you're going to be screaming at when you're in labor, so I think should try to make amends before that."

This time, I was the one who stole a kiss. Only, Kurama was ready for it, and pulled me closer, preventing me from breaking the kiss until I was quite out of breath. I was thankful there was no one else in sight.

It had been a year since Tomosuke's death, yet it still felt like he was always with me, watching over Kurama and I. I felt safe, and happier than I ever thought possible. My life had been changed more than I could have imagined, yet perhaps it was fate. I know I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Kurama, and having a family with him. It was something I'd always dreamed of.

I let go of Kurama's hand, and turned back to look once at the gravestones of my family. I smiled, feeling the familiar warmth, saying to me that Tomosuke was looking after me. Without further ado, a thought sprung into my mind. I whirled around to Kurama, a wicked grin spreading across my face. Kurama's expression smiled back, but he was wary.

I leapt at him, too fast for him to move. I sunk my teeth into his neck, right on his jugular. I bit just barely hard enough to draw blood. I licked the blood off then, and gently kissed the wound.

"Hey!" Kurama protested, laughing. He reached out to grab at me, but I danced away from his arms. "What do you think you're doing?"

I began to run away from him, to the direction of our house. Laughing, I called over my shoulder, "You'll have to catch me to find out!"

It felt like I was racing to our future. I couldn't wait to reach it.

* * *

*sniff*

It's all over...Ah well. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I just want to say thanks for all your support!

Sequel is coming soon. It starts with Honeymoon Mouse (which is out now) and next will be Little Mouse (which is coming soon).

Thanks again!

Lark


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